Bill on Tobacco Smoking goes to Parliament

August 6, GNA- A bill on the ban of smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products at public places will soon be presented to Parliament for discussion and approval, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director- General of Ghana Health Service said on Wednesday in Accra. The bill, which would be guided by the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, would address issues such as advertisements, sponsorship and warning to prevent people, especially the youth from accessing tobacco and tobacco products.

Briefing the press in Accra on Tobacco control, Prof. Akosa said government in 1989, made a pronouncement of ban on smoking in public places, which included cinemas, restaurants, theatres and public offices.

He said government had made efforts to control tobacco use, though there was no legislation backing the pronouncements. A directive was given by the Ministry of Health further banning smoking on the premises of any health facility throughout the country.

"An order was given again in 1991, that cigarette and tobacco products should bear clear health warning to inform users of the consequences of the use of the product, whilst direct advertisements of tobacco products on state and private radio, television and newspapers was also banned".

He said the health hazards warning were not legible enough to warn smokers of the dangers involved by smoking, hence, "the need to enforce a law that would control that habit", he added.

Smoking kills five million people a year through tobacco-related diseases and 100 million people worldwide have died of smoking in the last century and it is estimated that there would be one billion deaths in this century unless smokers quit their habit.

Prof Akosa noted that smoking was a habit, which when started was difficult to stop therefore, it was important for both smokers and non-smokers to learn the facts about it.

Prof. Akosa said in view of the seriousness of the epidemic worldwide, the World Health Oganisation, Ghana joined the 192 member states to adopt the framework convention to back the control of smoking. He appealed to the media, especially the electronic medium, "being the door to the public," to help in the fight against smoking with the rural folks as audience targets.

The Director-General also urged night clubs, bars, restaurant operators to respect the health of their clients by creating a space for customers who are keen to "smoke their lives away" in order not to endanger the lives of the others since it was very costly treating patients.