Ghana yesterday joined the rest of the world to commemorate this year’s.World No Tobacco Day. at Nsawam in the Eastern Region with a call on the public to quit smoking.
The programme, which was on the theme ‘Commit to quit’, was attended by representatives of the World HealthOrganisation(WHO), Ghana Health Service (GHS), market leaders and members of transport unions and National Union of Ghana Students, among other categories of people.
The Minister of Health, MrKwakuAgyeman-Manu, in a speech read on his behalf by his Chief Director, Mr KwabenaBoadu Oku-Afari, said tobacco had devastating effects on the respiratory system, which increases the incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, and put people with these conditions at higher risk of developing severe illness when affected by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“Coronavirus has claimed over 3,479,900 lives across the world, with Ghana recording 783 deaths,” adding that the COVID-19 pandemic had led to millions of tobacco users saying they wanted to quit smoking.
The Minister stated that on the scocio-economic front, tobacco cultivation affected development as it had been estimated that growing and producing tobacco used 4.3 million hectares of land, resulting in deforestation of 2-4 per cent and land degradation in form of soil erosion and soil fertility.
He said Ghana was making significant progress to reduce tobacco use by effecting the complementary smoke-free policies through the implementation of Public Health Act 2012 (Act851) and Tobacco Control Regulation,2016(LI. 2247).
The Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Mrs Delese Mimi Darko, in her remarks, stated that tobacco products contained 7,000chemicals, hundreds of which are known to be toxic.
Mrs Darko stated that the use of nicotine in tobacco products increased the risk of cancer, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.
She said according to the Tobacco Alasy Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, it was estimated that over 807,600 people smoked cigarettes and other tobacco products in Ghana, adding that 75 men die every week through smoking and use of tobacco products in Ghana.
MrsDarko said globally, tobacco killed more than eight million people annually.
“More than seven million of these deaths are from direct tobacco use and around 1.2 million are non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke,” she said.
The CEO expressed worry over well-known people in society smoking shisha on social media platforms, stating that “shisha amounts to smoking 100 to 200 sticks of cigarette”.
“It is worrying to note that this new trend of tobacco use is higher among young female adults than in males, according to the Ghana Youth Survey 2017
“The ‘Commit to quit’ campaign is to help create a healthier environment that is conducive for quitting tobacco use by advocating stronger tobacco cessation polices, increasing access to cessation services, raising awareness of tobacco industry tactics and empowering tobacco users to make successful quit attempts through quit and win initiatives,” she added.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Kwame Achempong, in a speech read on his behalf by the Nsawam Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Isaac KwadwoBuabeng, stated that quitting smoking could be challenging yet rewarding with immediate and long-term health benefits.
He said the government was committed to working with the FDA and other relevant institutions to achieve the ‘Commit to quit’ policyfor a healthier Ghana.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa,DrMatshidisoMoeti, in a speech read on his behalf, urged governments to implement comprehensive tobacco policies as outlined in the WHO framework Convention on Tobacco Control to save lives and reduce health-care costs.
He called on celebrities and influencers to reject all forms of tobacco industry sponsorship.
Dr Moeti urged youth groups to build a movement for tobacco-free generation
Members of the staff of the FDA distributed flyers and educated market women and drivers on the effects of the use of tobacco and its products.
FROM ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI, NSAWAM
The post Ghana marks ‘World No Tobacco Day’ appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
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