Tobacco control legislation - International experts meet to finalise enforcement and compliance guide |18 April 2018
A dozen experts in tobacco control from the World Health Organisation (WHO) headquarters regional office, yesterday joined tobacco control focal points at the start of a three-day workshop to finalise a tobacco enforcement and training manual for the WHO African Region (WHO AFRO).
The workshop is being held at the Coral Strand Hotel and is being attended by anti-smoking experts from South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Liberia, The Gambia and Seychelles.
WHO AFRO has developed in recent years a guide on enforcement and compliance to assist member states to implement appropriate enforcement and compliance strategies for tobacco control legislation.
The workshop will therefore develop key training materials to build individual country’s compliance and enforcement capacity.
The training materials will include a training modules and job-aids for monitoring compliance to be used by government authorities in the WHO AFRO.
Participants will define tobacco and tobacco products; identify the different tobacco products; understand the dangers associated with tobacco use; create awareness on the social, economic and environmental effects of tobacco use and understand the importance of tobacco control.
Seychelles has been selected as the venue for the regional WHO workshop as it has comprehensive tobacco control laws that are in the process of being enforced, serving as best practices and learning environment for other countries.
The workshop was officially opened yesterday by Dr Jude Gedeon, the public health commissioner who is also chairperson of the tobacco control board.
Also present was the moderator, Dr William Mania, a senior programme manager of the WHO regional office for Africa; Doreen Hotive, the WHO Country Office for Seychelles and Barathi Viswanath, programme manager, UPCCD, Public Health Authority.
In his opening remarks, Dr Gedeon highlighted some main achievements Seychelles has had with regard to tobacco control where he said the country has had strong policies against such for several decades now, even before the advent of our tobacco control act in 2009.
“We are one of the first countries in Africa to ratify the Framework Convention for Drug Control in 2003. In line with this treaty and good practice with regard to drug control, Seychelles has developed and started implementing the drug control act in 2009,” he said.
In line with the provision of the tobacco control act, Dr Gedeon mentioned some of the measures already in place in Seychelles.
As part of these measures, smoking is no longer permitted in enclosed premises, work places, public transports and at health premises such as hospitals, clinics, educational institutions and sports facilities.
Other measures include pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets and this covers 50% of tobacco packets together with a total ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships.
At the end of the workshop, participants should be able to analyse the importance of tobacco control.