Fight Against Tobacco Smoking Begins

A National Steering Committee for Tobacco Control in Ghana was inaugurated by the Minister of Health, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie in Accra on Monday.

The committee has 21 members drawn from health institutions and NGO's, and is to advice the Ministry of Health on strategies for the successful implementation of a national tobacco control programme.

The Ministry would also establish a National Secretariat for tobacco control activities to enable it facilitate the multi-sectoral and multi-lateral approaches to effectively control the use and production of tobacco in the country.

The Steering Committee would initially use the facilities at the Non-communicable Diseases Control Unit as its secretariat.

Dr. Afriyie noted that data in tobacco usage in Ghana is inadequate. He said the establishment of the secretariat has become necessary due to the enormity of the problem on the global market. "The focus is on regulatory and technical mechanisms, relevant World Trade Organisation agreements and other relevant issues to effective tobacco control programmes in all countries."

The Minister said effective control of tobacco requires both public health and legislative interventions and bemoaned the fact that diverse legislative laws have been passed in the past but enforcement of these laws has not been effective.

He painted a gloomy picture of the world's tobacco smokers. "The death toll from tobacco use is expected to reach 8.4 million by 2020, 70% of which will occur in the developing countries. Of the 100 million projected tobacco related deaths over the next 20 years, about half will occur during the productive ages of 35-69 years."

He said tobacco related diseases are the single most important cause of preventable deaths in the world, adding that smoking causes over 20 major categories of fatal and disabling diseases, including lung and other cancers, chronic and respiratory diseases.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Ghana said there are at the moment 1.1 billion smokers in the world and it is estimated that by 2020 tobacco would become the leading cause of death and disability killing ten million people a year of which 70% would be in the developing countries.

A committee member and the Chief Pathologist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Professor Agyeman-Badu Akosa regretted the upsurge of tobacco advertisements in the media and cited the conspicuous tobacco adverts on the Kaneshie Market building, in Accra and the Kumasi Central Market.

Among the committee members are the Medical Director of the Cardio-Thoracic Unit, Dr. Frimpong-Boateng and the Medical Director of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Asare.