Ghana - no passage of the tobacco contol bill any time soon..

Ghana - smoking and tobacco use now part of general public health bill..;
April 3, 2011 - As of January 14, 2011 The Tobacco Control bill has been scrapped. In its place the Attorney General’s Department has drafted a Public Health bill, under which strategies for tobacco control have been listed.Officials say the new bill is more comprehensive and deals with all aspects of public health, including smoking and tobacco use. Ghana - smoking and tobacco use now part of general public health bill..;

Ghana was the 39th country in the world to sign the convention/a">, and the first country in West Africa sub-region to ratify it in 2004. Despite this, all attempts since then to enact a law to regulate tobacco use in the country, has witnessed several challenges, causing many to doubt the government's commitment to achieving the set the goals spelt out in the convention.

In doing so, the country would be achieving the overall objective of the convention, which is 'to protect the present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environment, and economic consequences of tobacco consumption, and exposure to tobacco smoke.

According to the First Vice Chairman of the Media Alliance in Tobacco Control (MATCO), Jorge Wilson Kingson, Mr. Kingson noted that in the effort at meeting this demand, the National Tobacco Steering Committee (NTSC) started formulating a National Tobacco Bill in 2005 for the attention of the government.

It is almost six years now since the drafting of the bill was concluded, but, clearly, there is little indication that the bill is yet to get to Parliament for consideration. He made it clear that a number of reasons had been deduced as the cause of the delay in the passage of the bill.

Among them, is the low level of awareness among stakeholders about tobacco control and FCTC issues, and the in adequate involvement of media, key law makers and public opinion to support the bill.

He made it clear that a number of reasons had been deduced as the cause of the delay in the passage of the bill.

Among them, is the low level of awareness among stakeholders about tobacco control and FCTC issues, and the in adequate involvement of media, key law makers and public opinion to support the bill.

More importantly, is also the interference of the tobacco industry control policy issues in the country.

Then also, the issue of whether the bill should form part of the general public health bill or be made to stand alone. The public health bill is a consolidation of all existing legislations on the various issues concerning public health.

Reference: What is holding Up Passage of the Tobacco Control Bill?/a>, Source: Ghanaian Chronicle - Ghanaian Chronicle, 3/30/2011.


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