BY
CYNTHIA NKHATA
Civil society such as the Centre for trade policy
and development, Centre for primary care and Tobacco Free Association, have expressed
concern that so far no progress has been made since the pronouncement were made
to have the bill introduced in principle in Parliament for enactment.
The Zambia Tobacco Free Association Executive
Director Brenda Chitindi said the enactment of the tobacco control bill in
Parliament is the only tool for confronting the growing tobacco-related disease
crisis in the country.
“To achieve the foregoing, we believe enactment of
the Tobacco Control Bill is the main tool for confronting the growing
tobacco-related disease crisis in Zambia. “Implementation of the tobacco
control bill in Zambia is a vital step towards reducing the growing
inequalities and generating a healthy and productive society,” Chitindi said.
The tobacco Control Bill which was tailored as a
response to world Health Organization (WHO) framework Convention for Tobacco
Control (FCTC), to which Zambia signed in 2008 has been ignored for some years
now.
2% of its GDP towards the costs to treating
tobacco related diseases and along with this, Zambia loses close to 8,000
people each year because of tobacco related illnesses, such as, Lung Cancer,
Stroke, Heart disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Airway
disease.
"The tobacco industry said there is a need to
enhance political will in a bit to push for the tobacco control
bill,"Centre for primary care Researcher professor faston Goma has said.
He said the tobacco control bill seeks to reduce
tobacco use and sale on the market in order to protect the victims.
MEANWHILE Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo says the
ministry has been pushing for the Tobacco control Bill to be presented to
parliament.
Ms Masebo has assured the champions of the Tobacco
control Bill that it will soon be taken to parliament once further
consultations are done.
Ms Masebo said the same way the access to
information Bill was presented to parliament, it’s the same way the tobacco control
Bill will be presented to parliament for everyone knows it the Bill will be
enacted and made law to ensure that the response to World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for
Tobacco Control (FCTC), to which Zambia signed in 2008 is attained.
The ministry will do everything possible to see to
it that the tobacco control Bill is presented to parliament as soon as possible
so that it can to curb the use of
tobacco and ensure public health is attained in the country.
And Mbabala Member of
parliament Musanje said he will support the Tobacco control Bill as soon as it
comes to parliament so that it can be enacted into law so that it can prevent
youths especially from his constituency to stay away from abusing tobacco.
He said laws such as
the tobacco control bill need to be enacted because there is too much abuse of
tobacco and nicotine in communities hence many youth in communities have become junkies and been
hardcore thieves.
He added that he is
looking forward to when the bill be presented to parliament and do what is
right for the community as a member of parliament who was sent by his people
from the community.
Tobacco
is the single most preventable leading cause of death in the world. It contains
7,000 chemicals of which 69 cause cancer. It leads to chronic diseases such as
cancer, heart diseases, respiratory diseases, and diabetes, mouth and skin
infections. It also contributes to high health costs and economic losses,
widens socioeconomic inequalities, and contributes to environmental
degradation.
Globally more than 7 million deaths occur as a
result of tobacco consumption of which 890,000 deaths are due to exposure to
tobacco smoke (passive smoking). Approximately 80% of the deaths occur in low-
and middle-income countries including Zambia.
In Africa, 13 million women use tobacco
products including smokeless tobacco. According to recent studies,
approximately 13% of young adolescent girls use tobacco products. Between 2002
and 2030, tobacco attributable deaths are expected to double in LMICs including
Zambia. Approximately two thirds of adult deaths due to second hand smoke are
among women (64%)
Implementation and enforcement of comprehensive tobacco
control measures, based on the WHO FCTC will significantly reduce tobacco
consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. Zambia has an opportunity to scale
up tobacco control efforts and honour its commitments to the WHO FCTC and
ensure that young people do not become the next generation of smokers.
Enacting the Tobacco Products and
Nicotine Products Control Bill would protect the people of Zambia from a deadly
and destructive product.
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