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A Non-governmental Organisation, Kidcare Consults, has embarked on aggressive enlightenment campaign against the debilitating effects of smoking, especially in youths. The campaign is executed partly by convening of workshops where young children are exposed to the dangers of smoking.
National Co-ordinator of the group, Mrs. Abimbola Kolade, who disclosed this in Lagos at a function organised to mark this year’s “World No Tobacco Day”, said the exercise was the organisation’s contribution to global efforts against tobacco smoking.
“In solidarity with efforts and activities being organised by stakeholders all over the world, young children and KidCare Consults are creating awareness on smoking tobacco; public awareness programmes are being targeted at youth in schools and the community the organisation exists and these programmes are expected to be extended to other states.
“Apart from organising enlightenment programmes for the young ones, KidCare Consults also employs other communication strategies to create awareness on the serious health consequences of tobacco use and other dangerous drugs.”
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The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho has revealed that the country's public consumption levels of tobacco have relatively gone down compared to the previous years.
"Through various programmes such as sensitization campaigns on radio, billboards and stickers among others, the government has successfully managed to discourage people from smoking tobacco in public and in turn the levels have gone down."
"We can not however reveal any statistics yet as these will be highlighted during the World Health Day celebrations that are set for next month," Binagwaho told the Sunday Times.
GUANGZHOU: This southern economic hub may snuff out smoking on official occasions once a new law takes effect.
"The proposal aims to accelerate the implementation of the new regulation and create the environment for a non-smoking Asian Games in 2010," said Su Jinzhong, deputy director of the standing committee of the municipal people's congress and one of the deputies who submitted the proposal.
The law bans smoking in kindergartens, cinemas, auditoriums and meeting rooms of government departments, State enterprises and public institutions, as well as places where there are pregnant women, while limiting smoking in bars, dance halls and game rooms.
All government, semi-government and autonomous organisations would be made smoking-free soon, while all departments under the Health Ministry will be tobacco-free from Sunday.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Health and Family Welfare and Social Welfare Ministry Professor Dr Syed Modasser Ali said this addressing as the chief guest at a policy dialogue titled "Show the truth. Picture Warnings Save Lives."
A non-government organisation organized the dialogue in cooperation with World Health Organization (WHO) here on Wednesday marking the 'World No Tobacco Day-2009'.
The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Tobacco Control (CNTC) has called on government to expedite action on a draft bill at the Ministry of Health awaiting cabinet consideration and eventual passage by Parliament. The call was made on Saturday at a post-World-No-Tobacco durbar organized by the Coalition to sensitise the Okaishie community in Accra on the harm of tobacco on the heath of users and the public and the need to pass a law in Ghana o control tobacco use.
The bill which is based on the input of the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FTTC) seeks among other things, to ban smoking in public places and also stop advertisements on cigarettes.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) is looking to strengthen its anti-smoking campaigns along with further enforcement of smoking laws in the hopes of one day creating a non-smoking generation in the Sultanate.
Minister of Health Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman said that apart from enforcing rules of smoking in nonsmoking areas, the ministry has also passed laws prohibiting the sales of cigarettes to those under the age of 18 as well as ensuring that cigarettes can only be imported and sold by licensed individuals.
"We also have been very active on the roadshow and some of our tasks have been taken over by the school counsellors themselves. We are asking the schools to cooperate with us to teach their students on the harms of smoking," said the minister after his tour of the "Show Truth. Picture Warning Saves Lives" smoking exhibition yesterday at the Ministry of Health.
"A lot of schools are now adapting this action and the (roadshow) exhibitions will help to pass on the message that smoking is harmful to our health and we are getting very good responses," he said.
According to the Department of Health commissioned Survey of Lifestyles, Attitude and Nutrition (Slán), rates of smoking among the Irish populace have declined over the period 1998-2007 from 33 per cent to 29 per cent.
However, it is estimated that close to 7,000 people die each year in Ireland from smoking-related illnesses, and tobacco has been identified by the WHO as the leading cause of death and disability in the world.
Introducing an effective tobacco control strategy, including the use of graphic pictorial images on cigarette boxes, is seen as a crucial step in reducing tobacco-related deaths.
In May 2005, the European Commission bolstered the existing EU Tobacco products Directive of 2002 by recommending that member state governments adopt 14 graphic pictorial health warnings from a library of 42 colour photographs and other illustrations for inclusion on cigarette cartons.
According to the HSE, pre-testing of the EU library has been carried out and the images for use on the Irish market have been selected. Proposals have already been submitted to Government to amend the existing tobacco legislation, and one of these amendments will allow the Minister for Health to introduce combined text and photo warnings on tobacco products. It is anticipated that this will be enacted before the Dáil summer recess.
Health care providers should intensify efforts to combat smoking since there is an alarming increase in the number of smokers in the Kingdom, said Dr. Najwa Al-Ghamdi at the inauguration of a symposium on Smoking Cessation — Improving the Role of Health Care Providers at King Fahd Medical City (KAMC) yesterday.
In her opening remarks, Al-Ghamdi, chairwoman of the symposium, pointed out that one sixth of the Kingdom’s six million smokers are women. “We hope that this event will act as a wake-up call to all health care providers to implement a multidisciplinary approach in assisting patients with tobacco addiction.”
Al-Ghamdi, who is a consultant clinical pharmacist, said health care providers could play an effective role in disseminating information on the ill effects of smoking. “Pharmacists have easy access to people and they can approach members of the public in a friendly way to help them quit smoking,” she said.
The symposium was organized by KAMC as part of a health awareness campaign conducted throughout the Kingdom in connection with World No Tobacco Day.
The European Commission is launching the second phase of its "HELP for a life without tobacco" campaign to mark the World No Tobacco Day.
On May 31, three new anti-smoking TV spots will be shown on over 100 TV channels across Europe for one month and repeated during September, said the commission.
The TV spots, developed with young people, use humor to deliver three serious messages: Don't start smoking, how to quit smoking and dangers of second-hand smoking.
Many teenagers start smoking due to peer pressure. Actually, this is quite common in Mauritius. In the desire to gain acceptance from their peers, many youngsters do not think twice before giving themselves to cigarettes. Other youngsters, mistaking cigarette smoking as a sign of adulthood and maturity start to smoke. . . .
Keeping in mind the protection of non-smokers' health, the government of Mauritius has put restrictions on the consumption of tobacco products in public. This law came in force as from March 1, 2009. Smoking is prohibited in indoor areas (that is, any space with a roof and /or more walls), in public transport, outdoor premises of health, educational and sport institutions, recreational places including public gardens and excluding beaches; cafes, bars, nightclubs and restaurants; bus stands, bus stations; while preparing, serving or selling foods in public places; while driving or traveling in a private vehicle carrying passengers. . . .
With the aim of seconding the government in its endeavours, the Ligue Vie et Sante (ViSa Association), presided by Veronique Le Clezio, has organised a series of activities to mark the World Anti-Tobacco Day celebrated on May 31. Additionally, all public places where smoking is prohibited should be equipped with a "No Smoking" sign.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa Yankey has directed the enforcement of regulations that prohibit the smoking of tobacco or cigarettes in public places.� He said this is because of the dangerous effect that tobacco smoking at such places has on the second hand smoker.
Speaking to the Times after the launch of the “World No Tobacco Day” in Accra, yesterday he said “law birth weights in babies, impairment in physical and intellectual development of children born to smokers, lung infections and other medical problems” are also proof of the effect second hand smoking brings. As such, it the unborn child is crucial to enforce to the last letter, the ‘No Tobacco Smoking at Public places regulation.
Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Member of Parliament (MP), Ayawaso East and Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, on Tuesday said efforts should be made to lay before Parliament, the Tobacco Usage Bill to help control the use of tobacco in public places. He said the government was ready to put in place policies and programmes to curb tobacco use in public if the Bill was passed by Parliament.
“In the meantime we need to function as educators by setting the example of abstaining from tobacco use.” Dr Ahmed made the appeal in a statement on the floor of the House, in commemoration of World No Tobacco Day, which fell on May 31, on the theme: “Tobacco Health Warnings.” He said Ghana was at the early stage of tobacco control, while the public was not fully aware of the severity of the health hazards from tobacco use.
Dr Ahmed said there was no need for the country to wait for the catastrophe attached to tobacco use.
G-20 leaders pledged to provide the International Monetary Fund with $500billion to help struggling economies, sparking global controversy. Yetstartling research shows that the combined costs of tobacco-related death andrelated productivity losses, healthcare expenditures, employee absenteeism,and widespread environmental harm are responsible for draining the sameamount - $500 billion - from the global economy each year and it receives much less attention than it deserves.
In recognition of World No Tobacco Day on 31st May, the World Heart Federation insists on bringing more attention to the impact of tobacco onhealth and disease. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death andis closely linked to cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause ofdeath worldwide. In 2010, it is estimated that six million people will diefrom the effects of tobacco - more than from HIV/AIDS, malaria andtuberculosis combined - and nearly three-quarters (72%) will be in low- andmiddle-income countries. Using tobacco causes clogging of the arteries, heartdisease, stroke, sudden death and heart failure.
Nearly 32 per cent of the over 10,000 smokers registered with smoking cessation clinics under the Ministry of Health (MoH) have successfully given up smoking, while 10,000 more smokers have pledged to quit the habit this year as part of a nationwide anti-tobacco campaign.
Providing details to Khaleej Times, Dr Wedad Al Maidoor, who heads the National Tobacco Control Committee, said 10,549 smokers had enrolled with five smoking cessation clinics under MoH ever since they were set up.
"So far, 3,370 of them have successfully quit smoking. This reveals that we are above the international standards in terms of success rate of smoking cessation clinics."
The World Health Organization in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation commemorated World No Tobacco Day on the 31st May, 2009 at Atlantic hall, National Stadium Freetown.
The programme was chaired by the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dao with the Minister of Health and Sanitation, and the Country Representative of the World Health Organization in attendance. The Chief Medical Officer in his statement noted that the purpose of the occasion was to act as a reminder of the health hazards in smoking tobacco. He presented statistics that over 5,000,000 people die globally as opposed to death rate for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, adding that 32% of men smoke tobacco and less than 1% for women.
In his speech, the country representative of the World Health Organisation Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu mentioned that tobacco is a leading preventable cause of death in the world.