South Sudan health ministry lobbies approval of tobacco control act
June 5, 2010 (JUBA) — The Ministry of Health of the Government of Southern Sudan has shown serious interest in lobbying the Juba- based parliament to approve an act controlling excessive consumption of tobacco and other drugs.
?Dr Olivia Lomoro, the Acting Undersecretary in the ministry said ” 5.4 million deaths result from tobacco consumption every year. The occurrence and consequences of these deaths could be allayed if people were made aware of the dangers of smoking”.
She added that the ministry has already initiated plans seeking a legal act to control excessive use of Tobacco.
?”The ministry has already started a legal process and is in consultations with a specialized committee at the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) lobbying a decision to pass the Tobacco Control Act, which among other things, will establish a board to spearhead the control of the use of tobacco across the region,” stated Dr. Lomoro to Sudan Tribune from Juba on Saturday.
She explained the dangers of smoking to pregnant women, saying this year’s celebrations focus on encouraging women not to become addicted to tobacco consumption. Magnifying the day’s theme “Don’t be deceived; tobacco kills”, she explained that smoking is not fashionable at all, it kills.
?”It will kill your mother, ruin the career of your sister and brother, destroy the lungs of your father and grandfather…and with a false promise, tobacco will make your community very poor”,” she decried.
?The World No Tobacco Day is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to its negative health effects, which currently leads to 5.4 million annual deaths worldwide. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created the “World No Tobacco Day” (WNTD) in 1987.
(ST)
junub
South Sudan health ministry lobbies approval of tobacco control act
It so true, that no supprises as we all know the motive behind this vague new is because of the so calls, “World No-Tobacco Day”, which the GoSS ministry of health wants to squandered our limited money on it again.
I don’t know what this all really going to help GoSS with to just seek in the world’s calender of Celebrated Day to choose and come and celebrated in South.
What is disturbing is how come the ministry did not disclosed its data of how many people died in South because of tobacco since the signing of CPA. Our ministry should have to collect its own data to support its statement because the 5.4 millions the World Health Organization was talking about is the death toll worldwide, not in South, or unless the GoSS Health Ministry is trying to tell us that 5.4 millions had as well is claimed by tobacco. That 5.4 millions might even not included the Southern Sudan since the ministry has no data to say how many really die in South because of tobacco.
Please do not waste the few money the ministry had in its account on celebration but on something imperative to our people of Southern Sudan.