Barely
two months into the enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act 2019, Modou Njie,
director of Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has
declared all public places in The Gambia as non-smoking environment.
Speaking
during events marking World Tobacco Day 2019, Mr. Njie said the law bans
smoking in public places, including restaurants, hotels and garages among
others. He added that henceforth, all public places are declared smoke free
environments, including police stations, health facilities and all public
institutions.
He
assured that the tobacco control laws will be fully implemented, while
commending his Health Minister Dr. Mamadou Lamin Samateh for endorsing the
proposal to facilitate effective service delivery.
He
said: “Children under 18 should not be sent to buy cigarette; shopkeepers
should not sell single stick of cigarettes. They should only sell per packet of
cigarette. We want all places to be smoke free and we want to start from
ourselves,” he further declared.
The
Gambia on 13 December 2019 joined the rest of the world in celebrating World
Tobacco Day on the Theme: “Choose Health, No Tobacco.” The event was held at the Central Medical
Store in Kotu.
The
2006 Tobacco Control Act, which came into force on 1 October 2019 is meant to
ensure a tobacco free Gambia. The Act imposes ban on public smoking, tobacco
advertisement and smoking in public spaces.
Momodou
Gassama, WHO communication officer in The Gambia in his remarks commended The
Gambia for championing the global crusade against tobacco.
He
said a multi-sectoral working group committee comprising all relevant
government sectors was set up to combat Tobacco use, resulting in the enactment
of the Tobacco Control Act.
He
said the process of tobacco control started in 1988, in the USA, when people
started suing tobacco companies for killing their family members; which is why
World No Tobacco is celebrated. He added that this was at a time when the
developing countries were just consumers, while the developed ones were
producers.
He
said currently 1.1 billion people are using tobacco, 80% percent of whom are in
the developing countries. He added that eight million people die out of
smoking, of which seven million die out of direct smoking; while 1.2 million
die due to second hand smoking.
Dwelling
further, he explained that when one smokes in a house, or in streets, the smoke
remains in the air for five hours, and revealed that the smoke can harm anyone
who inhales it.
He
said World No Tobacco Day is celebrated 31 May of every year, adding that date
does not matter. He said that what was important is celebrating the day.
Commenting
on the harmful effects of smoking, Mr Gassama recalled that the “Impact of
Smoking in the Heart” was the theme for last year’s celebration. “Tobacco
smoking breaks your air sacks, causing respiratory problems. Two out of three
of lung cancer deaths are caused by Tobacco,” Mr Gassama said; noting that
smoking causes 7000 different diseases.
He
also said a good number of children smoke because they are exposed to smoking
at home by their parents. “Tobacco and Health are irreconcilable.”
He also said WHO has been supporting the
government to generate evidence needed and design strategy to address
challenges.
Other
speakers included Commissioner Alhagie Sambujang Kinteh.
