By Caribbean Medical News Staff
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Advisor on Tobacco Control, Dr. Adrianna Blanco, says there is no reason to justify why the long-delayed tobacco control legislation has not been tabled in the House.
Blanco stated that the passing of the legislation should be top priority for Guyana. She explained that although tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke are totally preventable, tobacco is killing over six million people per year.
“I think for any country in the Caribbean it should be a priority, specifically where the country does not have a high prevalence…for example Guyana.
“You shouldn’t wait until your country has 30% prevalence to do something,” she said. There are many proven preventive measures that can help curb the swelling epidemic, and it could all be administered with little to no cost for the government.
“So it’s really a win-win situation: where the health of your people is protected and the fact that it doesn’t take money from the health system. Personally, I don’t see why they shouldn’t approve the legislation in your parliament,” she stated.
Each year, tobacco kills six million people: 5.4 million active smokers and 600,000 non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. It is the single legal consumer product that kills up to half of its users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer and costing the global economy an estimated 187.44€ billion each year.
A PAHO/WHO report indicated 71% of men consume tobacco while only 3.6% women are users in Guyana. This is a typical profile of tobacco consumption since men usually consume more than women at the beginning.
Public Health Minister, George Norton, who had previously stated that the long-awaited Bill would be placed on the order paper in July, told Kaieteur News that the Bill should be placed on the order paper early next year.
“In fact it should have been one of the first items up but we never got the chance to,” he stated, adding that the passing of the Bill affects everyone, including the law makers.
The minister informed that he had the support of the government and was looking forward to the passing the bill.
