THE Ministry of Public Health on Friday night received the World No Tobacco Day Award conferred on it by the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) for leading the way in tobacco control in the region.

The award was received by Prime Minister and acting President, Moses Nagamootoo at the Marriott Hotel, and was received just one year after Guyana passed the Tobacco Control Bill.

“Guyana is now positioned as one of the most advanced Caribbean countries in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control, and is at the highest level of adherence to three out of the four tobacco control best-buys,” Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence said.

She attributed this success to a number of stakeholders who were critical to initiating the process and seeing it come to fruition. Former ministers, Drs. Leslie Ramsammy and Bheri Ramsarran were singled out for initiating the process, and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) country office for its steadfast support.

“Alone, we can’t do much, but together we can change the world,” Minister Lawrence affirmed.

And while she noted that Guyana is rightly proud of this significant achievement, she also stated, “The people of Guyana can be assured that the MoPH will move ahead in its quest to protect it from the hazardous effects of tobacco, second-smoking and all other related diseases.”

In August 2017, the Tobacco Control Bill became law after it was assented to by President David Granger. This comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising promotion and sponsorship is in keeping with Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

A TOUGH DECISION
According to Minister Nagamootoo, passing the Tobacco Bill was a tough decision.

“Politicians, as they say, always look to the next election; that’s what politicians do. And I believe leaders look to the next generation,” the prime minister said, adding:
“We had to become leaders on this occasion; we need strong laws, and we need a campaign of education that it is possible, so that we can help to change some persons.”

Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Charles Fung-a-Fat said that even before the Bill was published, there were several rounds of sensitisation for the general public.

“The Tobacco Bill as it is now; the Act is one of the most modern Acts,” Fung-A-Fat said.

As a former smoker himself, the prime minister knows first-hand the repercussions smoking can cause, and had related that another important factor was reaching the young people who had just become smokers and convincing them that smoking is a bad habit.

And while striving to foster a healthier country, the prime minister also explained that due diligence must be given to the livelihoods of citizens and the economy.

“It was not intended, on our part,” he said, “to lock out the tobacco industry, because we recognise that we produce tobacco in Guyana.
“We have tobacco farmers, and we recognise that we have employees in the tobacco industry.”
And this is why, he said, he endeavoured to include members from the industry in the long consultations.

But according to WHO/PAHO Director of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Dr. Anselm Hennis, Guyana must be wary of the direct attempts from the tobacco industry to hinder progress in this regard.

Dr. Hennis said he is aware that the implementation of the Bill will face some struggles, but noted that taxation is a key measure for tobacco control.

Nevertheless, with the legislation being passed in the House just about one year ago, the acting president said, “Today, we are very happy to be recognised for our collective effort. It was teamwork; it was Team Guyana.”

He also expressed great appreciation that while Guyana’s National Assembly may be dominated by partisan politics, it came together unanimously to “conclude the legislation”.

“This is a victory for a united Parliament,” he highlighted.

MOVING AHEAD
With regional and international recognition for the strides made in forging ahead with tobacco control, Guyana still has a long way more to go.

This period will involve the government and its partners edifying those in schools, sports clubs and the general public.

The public must remain informed that the Bill is not one that is intended to imprison citizens, but rather to curb the practice of smoking in public through fines.

“We need to go on a blitz on the laws that we have made, and explain to our people that it is not intended to be another law to put away people in jail,” Minister Nagamootoo said.

And with tobacco control measures steaming ahead, the prime minister posited that other health services can be boosted when the control measures kick in, thereby allowing expenditure to be used elsewhere.

Reminding his audience that Guyana is not an island but rather a country with varying topographies, the minister related that it is ambitious but challenging to deliver health services to all parts of Guyana.

“We understand that we’ve been dealing with NCDs; if we deal with the causes of some of the chronic diseases that we have, like smoking, then we will be able to reduce and minimise the amount of money that we have to spend in some areas of health attention and divert it to other areas within the sector, like perhaps expanding health services to all our riverine and hinterland communities,” he said.

The acting president applauded the support the government has been receiving, and admitted that while it may be faced with challenges, particularly challenges of a financial nature, partners like the WHO and PAHO are particulaly supportive.

PAHO/WHO representative to Guyana, Dr. William Adu-Krow related that the local Health Ministry was the only one in the Caribbean and Latin America to be honoured for its work in tobacco control.

He said when he first came to Guyana, just over four years ago, it was rated low regionally for tobacco control. Now Guyana, through the MoPH, is leading the way.

The other awardees include: The Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS) in Argentina; Dr. Guillermo Paraje of the Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chile; Executive Director of the Inter American Heart Foundation in the United States, Dr. Beatriz Champagne; Dr. Eduardo Bianco of Uruguay; and President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Dr. Tabaré Vázquez.