Tobacco Control Measures before Parliament Health Committee

The Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) and Coalition on the Tobacco Control Bill, have called on Parliament to enact a strong and formidable law on tobacco control measures to protect the lives of the people.

They also appealed for the speedy passage of the Public Health Bill and avoid attempts of the tobacco industry in interfering in the making of public health policy, because it would not only affect the well-being of Ghana but was also a breach of article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Mr Issah Ali, Executive Director of VALD who made the call in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said Ghana had failed to meet its obligations on article 8, 13 and 5.2 of the FCTC, deadline for which fell on February 27, 2010.

He said Ghana should have implemented a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, ban smoking in public places and pass comprehensive tobacco control legislation five years after ratifying the FCTC.

Mr Ali said although Ghana was making headway in the process of enacting laws against tobacco, its urgency was unfortunately relegated.

‘Till it happens to a close relation or a friend, one might never realize how close and deadly the tobacco canker is to all of us. However, much as one might wish never to believe tobacco is dangerous especially to the secondhand smoker, the evidence is glaring and therefore must be curbed earnestly before it degenerates.”

The Executive Director stressed that the FCTC did not recognize the tobacco industry in the discussion of public health polices and therefore their participation in Ghana’s Parliamentary Select Committee on Health’s public health hearings on the Bill was a violation of the Convention.

He cautioned the legislature to be on the lookout for any attempt of the tobacco industry to interfere with public health policy.

“We should be wary because unlike other national health threats such as cholera, malaria, maternal mortality, among others, this menace has multinational public relations firms well established promoters and lobbyists who may not leave anything to chance in interfering with public health policies,” he noted.

Some countries have fallen prey to the tobacco industry interference in their public health policy, thereby making their tobacco control legislations weak and ineffective and this should be a wakeup call to Ghanaian policy makers, he urged.

Mr Ali stated, “The Tobacco Control Measures of the Public Health Bill when passed will mandate the implementation of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs to enable smokers and non-smokers with low level of formal education to understand the hazardous effect of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke."

He indicated that countries such as Mauritius, Egypt, and Djibouti, among others in Africa, have implemented a pictorial and text health warning covering on their tobacco pack.

NGO holds forum on Tobacco Control Bill

NGO holds forum on Tobacco Control Bill
http://news.peacefmonline.com/social/200911/32209.php
Date: 20-Nov-2009
Source: GNA


Government would ensure that tobacco control is included in the country's developmental agenda to free Ghanaians from tobacco addiction, disabilities and death.

Already the Ministry of Health has taken steps to ban smoking in health facilities and prohibited tobacco advertisement through various administrative directives.

Dr Benjamin Kumbour, Minister of Health-designate announced this in an address read on his behalf at a public forum on Ghana's Tobacco Control Bill in Accra on Thursday.

It was organised by Vision for Alternative Development, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in collaboration with Coalition of NGOs in Tobacco Control and Media Alliance in Tobacco Control.

It was aimed at offering the participants the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the passage of the Tobacco Control Bill when presented to Parliament.

Some of the provision of the bill included the ban of smoking at public places, advertisement on tobacco and sponsoring events and sales by children under 18 years.

Dr Kumbour said the World Health Organisation (WHO) report indicated that close to five million people die annually as a result of tobacco use and exposure to the smoke.

He said tobacco was projected to kill more than 10 million smokers and passive smokers by 2030 with 70 per cent in developing countries including Ghana.

Dr Kumbour said Ghana played a key role during the negotiation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

He said Ghana was among the first 40 parties to the Convention, adding that Ghana had since participated in all meetings and inter-governmental Negotiation Bodies.

The FCTC is a global collective decision taken by more than 168 countries including Ghana and that the development of the convention was approved by the WHO Assembly and negotiated under the auspices of the WHO.

He pledged the ministry's commitment to ensuring that children and the youth were not exposed to tobacco use and the use of hard drugs.

"Dr Kumbour expressed the hope that the recommendations of the forum would be considered by the Ministry in ensuring a strong law to control tobacco in the country.

Mr Issah Ali, Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development, said the use of tobacco was the gateway to the use of hard drugs, which was causing harm to most Ghanaians.

He therefore urged the government to protect its citizens against diseases by putting up measures to control the menace.

Dr Promise Sefogah, Programmes Director of Doctors for Right To Health (DRH), an NGO said tobacco was the leading, cause of preventable disease death world wide and that it had serious negative effects on every single organ of the body

He therefore urged the youth to desist from using tobacco which he said had negative effects on their mental and physical development.

VALD selected to participate in global summit

VALD selected to participate in global summit
By Naa Bettey Nelson
Ghanaian Chronicle
Mon, 24 Aug 2009
(http://www.modernghana.com/news/234547/1/vald-selected-to-participate-in-global-summit.html)

Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) has stated that Labram M. Musah the General Secretary, will represent the organisation at the premiere of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland, from August 24 – 26, this year.

This is the first-ever event to bring together world leaders, advocates and corporations from more than 60 countries to address the global cancer burden.

The VALD is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) established to promote alternative initiatives and development at all levels of society.

It has the following as its working objectives: To engage in health promotion and information/tobacco control, to support community participation in decision making and to advocate for cultural diversity, peace and development.

VALD is the leading NGO in Ghana advocating for the implementation of the Frame Work Convention on Tobacco Control to reduce cancer and heart diseases.

The Summit is the landmark event of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, an effort of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF).

Labram Musah will represent the organization's commitment to fight cancer in Ghana and engage with world media, political leaders, representatives of non-governmental organizations and corporate leadership.

Cancer is a worldwide public health problem. It accounts for 12.5% of all deaths, more than the percentage of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria put together, is the second leading cause of death in developed countries, and is among the three leading causes of death for adults in developing countries.

In 2002, there were 6.7 million cancer deaths worldwide with less than 5% of these in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that by 2020, cancer could kill 10.3 million people worldwide, with a 50 to 75 percentage increase in cancer mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.

As of now Ghana has no national statistical records of cancer cases, but a research conducted by the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) revealed it.

Tobacco Companies target Africa

Tobacco Companies target Africa
Public Agenda
Friday, June 12, 2009.
By Basiru Adam

Following increased pressure from Europeans countries, Tobacco companies are said to have found Africa a safe haven where control measures are loose in many countries. Countries like Nigeria and Senegal are hosting large manufacturing plants from where the whole sub-region is served the harmful drug. Organizations in the fight against tobacco use are thus worried that if African governments do not act on the matter, the consequences could be dire for the continent. Particularly worrying is the allure tobacco holds for the youthful population. The truth of the matter is that governments make loads of money from the tobacco industry. It is as such difficulty to convince any such government to sever ties with the industry. But a counter argument from anti-tobacco activists is that the complicated health conditions that result from tobacco use and the attendant medical expenses cost a nation much more money. Finding that calling for a total ban on tobacco manufacture would be an uphill task; activists say control measures need to be strengthened. A global demand on manufacturers is the need for picture warnings on the product to help smokers who cannot read to know the dangers involved. Incidentally, this year’s World No Tobacco Day was celebrated on the theme “Tobacco Health Warnings.”

“The general consensus globally is for the use of warnings which are the fusion of texts and pictures. Research has shown that tobacco health warnings which incorporate pictures are more effective in conveying the message of the harm wreaked by tobacco,” says the CEO of the Ghana’s Food and Drugs Board (FDB), Dr. Stephen Opuni. According to Ms. Sophia Twum-Barima of the WHO office in Ghana, “It is the smoker’s right to know what he is smoking.” She laments that “currently, the warning is so small that you cannot even see it. It is not explicit enough. We want a definite warnings; one that says tobacco kills.”

Indeed, Dr. Stephen Opuni says Tobacco companies have been given August 1st 2009 as a deadline to discontinue the importation of cigarette packs without the approved health warnings. By a similar token, the companies have been given the December 31 as deadline to mop up old cigar packs already on the market without the health warnings. African governments are also being encouraged to charge higher taxes on the product so that it would be sold at a much higher price to the consumer as a way of discouraging its use. Ms. Sophia Twum-Barima says that “currently, tobacco is so cheap that even children can buy it.”The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which was negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization is the fulcrum around which the global fight against tobacco use is being waged and 164 countries including Ghana was among the first forty countries which supported the entry into force of the FCTC. As African governments are also being encouraged to charge higher taxes on the product so that it would be sold at a much higher price to the consumer as a way of discouraging its use. Ms. Sophia Twum-Barima says that “currently, tobacco is so cheap that even children can buy it.”The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC] which was negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization is the fulcrum around which the global fight against tobacco use is being waged and 164 countries including Ghana was among the first forty countries which supported the entry into force of the FCTC. As an objective, the convention seeks to “protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption.”Article 4 of the convention demands that “every person should informed of the health consequences, addictive nature, and mortal threat posed by tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke, and effective legislative, executive, administration or other measures should be contemplated at the appropriate governmental level to protect all persons from exposure to tobacco smoke.” Ghana responded by putting together a committee in 2002 to draft a Tobacco Control Bill. The passage of the bill is what has remained an issue over the last couple of years in the country. Civil society organizations have been particularly up and doing calling on government to ensure speedy passage of a strong law to regulate the industry, vis-a-vise the country. Civil society particularly is keen on seeing a ban on smoking on public.

Vision for Alternative Development [VALD] is on such NGO which has been working over the years in ensuring good health for both smokers and affected non smokers. VALD held a national stakeholders meeting on tobacco Control Bill this week aimed at scrutinizing the bill and making inputs where necessary. With the help of Mrs. Pearl Akiwumi-Siriboe, a Pincipal State Attorney, several aspects of the bill were scrutinized and recommendations where necessary were made. In the end, a communiqué was adopted, which called on government to as matter of urgency ensure the passage of a strong law in the country. According to the Executive Director of VALD Issah Ali, “Ghana is considered a role model in Africa and a leader in tobacco control and good governance. Good governance ensures that the vulnerable such as children, youth, pregnant women and consumers are fully respected of their social background.” He believes therefore that Ghana should do all it can to maintain its enviable position on the continent.

Tobacco Kill, ban it

Tobacco Kill, ban it
Public Agenda
Monday, June 1st, 2009
By Basiru Adam

Vision for Alternative Development [VALD], and NGO, convinced that Tobacco has done more harm than good to both smokers and non-smokers, has demanded that government takes a number of measures, including increase tax on tobacco, to make Ghana an unpleasant market for tobacco trade. The NGO believes that government would be saving more money as against the returns it makes from tobacco companies if it protected its citizens from exposing themselves to the harmful effects tobacco. “Our health facilities are already overstretched. How many specialized units do we have at Korle-Bu? How is government going to come up with money to take care of diseases that result from tobacco smoking?” asks Issah Ali, Executive Director of VALD. VALD is thus asking for a hundred percent ban on Tobacco smoking in public places even as it calls for the passage of Tobacco Control Bill that has been pending since 2005 into law.

Issah Ali refuted the notion that smokers could be allotted designated places where they could smoke. In his view, there is no guarantee whatever that the smoke, the movement of which cannot be controlled, would not ultimately reach non-smokers. “As there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, we are recommending a 100% ban on smoking in public places. Kenya, Zambia and other countries have banned smoking. Public smoking in Abuja is illegal. Designating areas for smokers does not protect non-smokers.” In the Western World, governments have and continue to tighten control measures so that Tobacco companies are finding it increasingly less conducive to do business in those countries. Naturally therefore, such companies would be looking for jurisdictions that have loose regulations to stay and expand their frontiers. And Issah Ali believes that the Tobacco companies are finding Africa a safe haven in that regard. For example, he argued, some of the companies are putting up production plants in Senegal and elsewhere in Africa to serve as a strong manufacturing base in the supply of the drug.

Meanwhile, there is in place, in the international arena, a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC] which was negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization and unanimously approved by member states of the World Health Assembly. Ghana, as usual, is one of the 164 countries that are party to the convention. “Ghana is among the first forty countries which supported the entry into force of the FCTC.” The objective of the convention is to “protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption.” It is on the back of the afore-mentioned that VALD is urging the government of Ghana to expedite action on the passage into law of the Tobacco Control Bill to give effective provisions of the framework convention. Article 4 of the convention demands of Ghana that “every person should be informed of the health consequences, addictive nature, and mortal threat posed by tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke and effective legislative, executive, administrative or other measures should be contemplated at the appropriate governmental level to protect all persons from exposure to tobacco smoke.” To strengthen implementation of the law if passed, VALD proposes that government establishes a Tobacco Control Council, comprising relevant agencies and civil society groups to advice the health minister and other relevant agencies in the enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act.

Another worrying phenomenon that VALD wants government to be wary of is the attempt by tobacco companies to maneuver their way into the good books of legislator as it alleged to have happened in Kenya. Before Kenyan parliamentarians debated the bill on tobacco control, a tobacco company is alleged to have carter some of them away into a hotel where they were to believed to have been bribed so that “upon their retune from the sponsored holiday, interesting proposals were made towards weakening the bill.” “We are not saying it is happening in Ghana. But we know the possibility is there,” says Issah Ali. Issah Ali thus urged government and the Association of Ghana Industries to stop dealing with tobacco companies. “The health effects of tobacco are circumstances, mechanisms and factors of tobacco consumption on human health. Epidemiological research has been focused primarily on tobacco smoking, which has been studied more extensively than any other form of consumption. As of 2000, smoking is practice by some 1.22 billion people, of which men are likely to smoke than women, however the gender gap decline with age, poor more likely than rich, and people of developing countries more than those of developed countries. Fresh tobacco processed tobacco, and tobacco smoke contain carcinogens. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, Acrolein, and Nitrosamines are created during pyrolysis. These compounds are DNA adducts which induces mutation during DNA copying.

Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], emphysema, and cancer. As of 2000, smoking is practiced by 1.22 billion people. Assuming no change in prevalence it is predicted that 1.45 billion people will smoke in 2010 and 1.5 to 1.9 billion in 2025. Assuming that prevalence will decrease at 1% a year and that there will be a modest increase of income of 2%, it is predicted the number of smokers will stand at 1.3 billion 2010 and 2025. Smoking is generally five times higher among men than women; however the gender gap has begins to decline with younger age.

As of 2002 in China 67% of men smoke as to 4% of women, however among teens the gap closes to 33% among men as to 8% with women. In developed countries smoking rates for men have peaked and have begun to decline, however for women they continue to climb. As of 2002, about twenty percent of young teens [13 – 15] smoke worldwide. From which 80,000 to 10,000 children begin to smoking every day, of which roughly half of which live in Asia. Half of those who begin smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years. Much of the disease burden and premature mortality attributable to tobacco use disproportionately affect the poor.” Of the 1.22 billion smokers, 1 billion of them live in developing or transitional economies. Rates of smoking have leveled off or declined in the developed world, from which the United States have dropped by half from 1965 to 2006 falling from 42% to 20.8% in adult.
However, up to 30% of men are former smokers in developing countries, only 2% of men in China have quit, and 10% in Vietnam. In the developing world, however, tobacco consumption is rising by 3.4% per year as of 2002. The WHO in 2004 projected 58.8 million deaths to occur globally, from which 5.4 million are tobacco-attributed, and 4.9 million as of 2007. As of 2002, 70% of the deaths are developing countries “. Wikipidia.com

Pass ‘Tobacco Control Bill’

Pass ‘Tobacco Control Bill’
Daily Graphic
1 June, 2009
Story by: Musah Yahaya Jafaru

THE Executive Director of the Vision for Alternative Development, Mr. Issah Ali, has appealed to the government to pass the Tobacco Bill into law. That, he said, was the only way the government could protect Ghanaians against contracting diseases related to tobacco smoking.

Mr. Ali, who made the call at a press conference in Accra last Thursday, said it had been established by the Narcotics Control Board that cigarette use was the gateway to the use of hard drugs such as Indian hemp and cocaine. “Ghana is struggling to address diseases and health issues such as malaria, tuberculosis [TB] and HIV/AIDS and our health facilities are overstretched and as such cannot cope with diseases and cancers caused by tobacco use.” Mr. Ali asked the Minister of Health to “ensure that the Tobacco Control Bill is presented to Parliament as a matter of urgency”.

He said civil society group with the support of their allies would support the government in the implementation and enforcement of the Bill when passed into law. The Bill calls for labeling of tobacco products, he noted, and said his outfit had advocated a plain package for all tobacco products. He said picture warnings would keep a high population in the country aware of the dangers of tobacco use. When passed into law, he said, the Act would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to persons under 18 years and persons under the same age would not sell tobacco products.

Besides, he said, the Act would prohibit the sale of tobacco products in health and educational institutions, theaters, sports stadia and other places dominated by the youth.

Mr. Ali urged the government to increase tobacco tax in line with Article six of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC].

NGO urges early passage of Tobacco Control Bill

NGO urges early passage of Tobacco Control Bill Ghanaian Times
29th June 2009
By Patrick Baidoo

THE Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Mr. Issah Ali, has urged government to facilitate the passage of “Tobacco Control Bill (TCB)” into law.
He said government’s inability to pass was the major reason why much young person smoke at public places exposing non smokers to tobacco related diseases.
Addressing the Media Alliance in Tobacco Control (MATCO), a network of journalists against tobacco use during a press conference in Accra yesterday, he said that when passed, the Tobacco Act would provide the framework for effective tobacco control and help reduce tobacco related disease and deaths. “Scientifically it has been proven that tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke cause lung cancer, heart and respiratory diseases, stroke and other fatal ailments,” the Executive Director said.
He said that the Tobacco Act had become more crucial now because tobacco companies in their own countries had targeted developing countries like Ghana as a safe haven for their products to the detriment of the nations human resource quality.
“Ghana is struggling to address health issues such as malaria, tuberculoses, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality while our health facilities are over stretched and as such can not cope with additional heart diseases and cancers; hence, the Tobacco Law,” he said.
Mr. Ali said that since there can be no safe haven for non-smokers in the country VALD was recommending a 100 per cent ban on smoking in all public places.
“Kenya, Zambia and other countries have banned public smoking. Public smoking in Abuja is illegal and even designating special places for smokers cannot protect non-smokers” he said.
He further said that the bill, when passed, will be in accordance with the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC] provision which prohibits advertisement and promotion of tobacco products and donation, sponsorship and advertisement of tobacco firms and their products.
The Executive Director of VALD also called on government to increase tobacco tax as a means of making the product expensive and unattractive for the youth to patronize. Besides this, he said, it was also important for tobacco products to be labeled clearly for persons to see the health implication.
“The bill calls for the labeling of tobacco products and such we are recommending a plain package for all tobacco product and safe of single cigarette sticks to be banned.
“The picture warning would make a high percentage of the population aware of the dangers tobacco usage,” he said.