Ghana: toward a Tobacco Control Bill

As a result of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) intensive advocacy and lobbying the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health; Hon Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, Parliament has expressed it readiness to pass a Tobacco Control Bill into a law to control tobacco in Ghana. Thanks to our partners (FCA, NCS, ATCRI and others) for supporting our efforts. We hope to pressure to get the Bill approve by Cabinet this month (June 2009), as stated by Hon Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey (Minister of Health) and presented to Parliament in July 2008.

 

Below are the articles

 

MPs Call For Passage Of Tobacco Usage Bill

Ghana News Agency (GNA)

Wednesday, 03 June 2009

 

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. “As legislators it is our duty to make laws that will protect non-smokers health and the right to tobacco-free air,” adding that, “it is high time we follow the examples of Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia by banning smoking in all public places”.

 

The MP said tobacco had a harmful effect on children and especially pregnant women, while children exposed to a smoking environment were prone to developing bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma. Dr Ahmed said a research study carried out in some hotels, restaurants and night clubs, had revealed that “there are high levels of measurement of nicotine above the acceptable international levels”. He said a stick of cigarette contained over 4,000 dangerous chemicals, which are dissolved in the smoke.

 

Dr Ahmed said according to a World Health Organisation (WHO)report, a puff of smoke released into the atmosphere, contained cancer causing agents and a chemical like carbon monoxide that affected the blood. “Other chemicals include arsenic, ammonia, methanol, butane, acetic acid and a host of other dangerous chemicals.” Dr Ahmed noted that the World No Tobacco Day, is celebrated worldwide to inform the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic and what people around the world can do to claim their rights to health and healthy living and also protect future generations.

 

Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and MP for Wa West, supported the call for the laying and passage of the Tobacco Usage Bill as early as possible, and advised medical doctors who smoke to set the example by quitting the habit, instead of “sending wrong signals to the public.” He said people should be encouraged to stop smoking, “even though I know it is very difficult to stop because they are addicted to cigarettes due to the nicotine in it.” Mr. Yieleh Chireh urged MPs to support the control of cigarette smoking in public places by passing the law on tobacco use when it is laid before the House.

 

 

 

Parliament to ban tobacco use in public

The Ghanaian Chronicle
Wednesday, June 03, 2009

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi

 

Parliament has indicated its preparedness to ban tobacco use in public places with a call on the Ministry of Health to speed up the “Tobacco Usage Bill” and lay it before the House of the Legislature for consideration.

This came to light when Members from both sides of Parliament (Majority and Minority) in contributing to a statement laid on the floor by Hon. Major (Rtd) Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on health and MP for Ayawaso Central, on “World No Tobacco Day” embraced the idea to ban tobacco usage in public places in Accra yesterday.

Hon. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West, who doubles as the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development in his contribution to the statement on the need to ban tobacco use in public places, tasked his colleagues to move a little further in terms of legislation to bring the situation under control.

“In many countries, they will not allow you to smoke in a public place. Those laws need to be enacted here”, he stressed, urging members to make efforts in passing a law to that effect by the end of the year.

This, he believed would enable the country to be seen as a nation complying with all the conventions that have been signed so far as tobacco control is concerned. He also stressed the need to intensify education in the rural areas to help minimize tobacco smoking.

Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye, in his contribution wondered why people would have to smoke in public places giving into account a situation were people smoke in an air-conditioned room to the detriment of others.

He gave an account where a woman was diagnosed with cancer and was detected that her lungs were full of smoke fumes. The woman, according to Prof. Oquaye never smoked but had inhaled so much smoke of tobacco that she was going to die of cancer.

Prof. Michael Oquaye, who is also the MP for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency believed it was time for Members of Parliament to deal seriously with the issue at hand since productivity level of every nation lies on the health of its citizens.

He urged the House to make copy of best practices around the world to enable the country to make much progress on the health of its citizens. He proposed that public places should be clearly marked “no smoking” areas to keep people away from smoking. He also proposed the enactment of laws that will ban and impose heavy fines on offenders who flout the laws, and also called for the discouragement of advertising on tobacco products in the country. Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare in her contribution to the statement urged Members to enact a law that will ban people from smoking. She urged Members of the House to have a critical look at other forms of smoke, like wood smoke on the health of the people.

Earlier, Hon. Dr. Mustapha Ahmed, in his statement in addressing the issue at hand drew into accounts statistics released by the World Health Organization (WHO), where it is estimated that in every eight seconds around the world, someone dies due to tobacco related diseases.

According to WHO, more than five million people die from tobacco related causes more than from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. According to him, ten million lives will be lost by 2020 due to toabacco use and out of this figure, seven million will come from developing countries including Ghana, where tobacco companies have shifted their attention to, due to the intensity of the war being waged against them in developed countries.

Dr. Mustapha Ahmed was contributing to the celebration of the world tobacco day under the theme “Tobacco For Health Warnings”.

He noted that health warnings should potray the serious health risks of tobacco use and ensure that the packaging tells the truth about the deadly products within it.

Additionally, he said messages on the pack need to effectively communicate the risks involved and motivate behavioral change, such as quitting or reducing toabacco consumption.

As a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed stressed the need for the country to strengthen efforts to ensure that tobacco packages graphically show the dangers of tobacco.

“Tobacco has harmful effects on children and pregnant women. Children who are exposed to a smoking environment are more prone to developing bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, middle ear infection and glue ear. In case of pregnant women, smoking comes with babies born with low weights. The risks of spontaneous and sudden infant death syndrome, premature and still birth are very high”, he noted.

To this end, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed tasked his fellow Members of the Legislative House to make laws that would protect the non-smokers health and right to tobacco free air.

 

 

Thanks for your attention.

 

Issah Ali

Executive Director

Vision for Alternative Development (VALD)

Ghana