Smoke free zone drive intensifies campaign against tobacco

Source: Guyana Chronicle, 10th May 2008

THE Ministry of Health has taken drastic steps to prevent the use of tobacco among youths, in order to preserve the quality of life and the future of Guyana.

The policy will focus on three main areas, the exposure of youth to tobacco smoke, sales to minors and the fact that they are smoking.

Towards the objectives, the ministry yesterday staged its first activity ahead of ‘World No Tobacco Day’, to be observed on May 31 under the theme ‘Tobacco-Free Youth’.

It will feature a poster and advertisement script competition for primary and secondary schoolchildren, themed ‘Smoke free me, Smoke free you’.

Other activities for ‘World No Tobacco Day’ will target several stakeholders to:

* improve the quality of life, by decreasing exposure to second/environmental tobacco smoke;

* advocate for legislation banning the sale of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco products to minors;

* review the current standards on advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of youth related activities by the tobacco company;

* encourage parents to take responsibility for their children’s health and

* provide information and skills to youths on tobacco use and its ill effects.

At the launching of the contest, Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, said Guyana must stand up in solidarity and recognise that tobacco is a killer.

Tobacco must cease to be a killer and the only way to do that is for us to have smoke free spaces in the country, not just at institutions but the entire Guyana must be a smoke free country,” he advocated.

Ramsammy said he is confident that the ambition and goal will result in many Guyanese living healthier and better lives and the nation’s health would significantly improve.

Life expectancy will increase and health cost would become more manageable if today Guyana stops smoking, he maintained.

Ramsammy said the first job to be done is to stop any child from experimenting with tobacco products and that is why the ministry has chosen this particular competition, this year, targeting children less than 13-years-old, as well.

He said, instead of lecturing the children about the dangers of tobacco, the opportunity is taken to make it possible for every child in Guyana to learn, on their own, what are the dangers of tobacco.

ȁThis initiative is a continuing effort on the part of the Ministry of Health to continue the aggressive assault on tobacco. I find it repulsive that we can be selling a product and, in fact, marketing and promoting a product saying ‘have fun, enjoy yourself’ as loud as we can and then say, by the way, it kills you,” Ramsammy stated.

He continued: “We now must take that ‘by the way it kills you’ and make it the message that this product will kill you and, therefore, we shouldn’t use it.”

Ramsammy said Guyana has taken steps with the Health Facility Licensing Act now in force, which mandates that all health facilities, public and private, to be no smoking zones.

He expressed gladness that schools are now smoke free zones and said they must be enforced.

According to him, whilst efforts are concentrated on preventing persons from becoming new smokers, measures will be put in place to protect those who are already smoking.

Ramsammy emphasised that the ministry will continue the assault on tobacco and said a coalition must be built for better health.

‚s we prepare for ‘World No Tobacco Day’, we must recognise that tobacco is an enemy in front of us, flaunting its ability to kill and injure us. Let us be sensible about it,” he appealed.

His other appeal was for teachers and parents to promote the dangers of tobacco products among children.

PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. Kathleen Israel, challenged the community and public and private sectors to become part of the drive to implement more smoke free spaces.

ȁI am very heartened to see the level of interest that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education have shown in this initiative. Its launch is testimony of the partnership that exists between the two ministries.

ȁI cannot underscore enough how important it is to involve the youths in this smoke free initiative,” she remarked.

Israel said she is hopeful that the poster and advertisement rivalry will not only serve to sensitise the children who will compete and the schools which they attend but also influence family members and the wider community.

ȁWe cannot afford to rest until all public spaces in Guyana have been declared smoke free. We also have to do the best we can to make sure that householders get the message to reduce smoking activities in the home and desist from smoking there.

ȁThis is the message we would like to get across Guyana. We remain committed to its implementation and will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that the objectives of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are fully achieved in Guyana,” the diplomat said.

The competition aims to encourage students to research tobacco and its effects on the body and provide them with the chance to be creative. In the primary category, pupils between the ages of six and 12 years are to submit a poster or design their personal expression on the meaning of what ‘Smoke free me, Smoke free you’ means.

In the secondary group, those between the ages of 13 and 17 are to make submissions of advertisement scripts.

They have until May 28 and the first place winners in both categories, to be announced on May 31, will receive home computer systems and trophies. Those placed second would get ‘Republic Rightstart Saving Accounts’ with opening balances and school supplies vouchers, as well as trophies while those in third place would get school supplies vouchers and trophies, too.

The sponsors are Bank of Nova Scotia, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited and Neal and Massy (Guyana) Limited.