Doctor calls for ban advertisement of alcohol

Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Dr Anna Puklo-Dzadey, Medical Director of Pantang Hospital, on Tuesday called on government to pass a law to ban the advertisement of alcohol in the country.

"The image of alcohol being a centre of socialization is reinforced by aggressive media adverts and I think it must be stopped," she said at the launch of the Monthly Health Report organized by the Ghana Health Services (GHS) in Accra.

It was on the theme: 93Alcohol and Illicit Drugs; Current Situation in Ghana."

She said available statistics suggested that one out of 14 drivers on Ghana's roads were intoxicated from heavy drinking of alcohol. Dr Puklo-Dzadey noted that use of hard liquor had increased with the emergence of a pattern that increasingly supported social drinking than it did in the past.

She said Pantang Hospital recorded 1,492 cases of alcohol-related diseases out of which 488 were females and 994 males last year as against 1,114 in 2005.

Dr Puklo-Dzadey said the consumption of addictive substances were on the increase with the main illicit drugs being cannabis, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and crack.

Dr Sam Adjei, Director of GHS, said the upsurge in alcohol-related diseases presented a challenge to the country and this called for rigorous laws to ensure sanity in the system.

He said access to psychiatric care and lack of specialized hospitals in the northern part of the country was some of the problems affecting the delivery of service in the country. He called for improved facilities at the various hospitals to ensure proper delivery of service. 13 Feb. 07