By: Mohamed Sahr
By way of committing to improving the healthcare system in Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with the World Health Organization and its partners has commemorated World No Tobacco Day with the theme ‘’Grow Food Not Tobacco’’ on Wednesday 31st May 2023 at Sierra Bay Resort in Freetown.
Dr. Sarti Kenneh, Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation remarked that every year on the 31st May they had to pay tribute to the millions of people who died as a result of tobacco-related diseases of which Sierra Leone is not an exception.
He said the theme of World No Tobacco Day targets raising awareness about the ways and manner in which tobacco companies meddled with the lives to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops which would compete with the global food crisis; adding that the campaign served as an opportunity to mobilize government and policymakers to augment farmers in order to enhance affordable and sustainable food crops as well create a conducive ecosystem for alternative livelihood for them.
Dr Kenneh said the Ministry had worked closely with partners to conduct a series of ideals that were based on social, economic and political engagements in a collaborative effort to formulate legal instruments that would negate and minimize the consumption of tobacco and Nicotine. He thanked the Government of Sierra Leone and the law enforcement body for passing into an act the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act 2022 as a way of walking at length with the International Convention.
‘’We also commend in advance the Chamber of Commerce to regulate the way tobacco business will be done in this country,’’ Dr Kenneh stated.
He furthered that the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act 2022 protects non-smokers from exposure to tobacco smoke, and ban, prevent and frown against tobacco advertisements across the mass media and social media respectively. Dr Kenneh admitted that they remained vigilant in the tobacco activities as well as monitoring the implementation of policies binding tobacco in order to protect people from exposure to its harmful smoke as a way of enhancing a tobacco-free environment.
Dr Selassi Amah D’almeida, Coordinator of the Health System at the World Health Organization urged Sierra Leoneans to advocate for minimizing tobacco intake which served as the World Health Organization’s commitment to assure good and healthy life for everybody. He mentioned that WHO would continue to work with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to ensure the implementation, and enforcement of Tobacco and Nicotine control. Dr Amah D’almeida applauded the Government of Sierra Leone for the enforcement of the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act 2022.
Ikaniji Fatema, MHPSS Technical Specialist of Handicap International said tobacco consumption has strong varieties of psychiatric disorders like anxiety, and addiction among others; noting that the nicotine attached to it would serve as a potential chemical in speeding up some of the mental health-related disorders. She revealed that people should think about the risk factors involved in tobacco intake.
‘’The refined product of tobacco which is cigarette has negative impacts on the health of those who consume it,’’ Fatema said. She encouraged everybody to work together to protect the younger generation from the intake of tobacco.
Joshua Abioseh Duncan, Country Director of Mental Health Coalition Sierra Leone said the right legislation dealing with tobacco control would create an enabling environment for Sierra Leone to be healthy.
He pleaded with the stakeholders to translate the letter into action instead of making sensational commitments. Duncan continued that the economic challenge of tobacco could not be watched with blind eyes and it also is detrimental to nomination-building said the meeting could not only focus on commemorating an event but it sheared light on the necessary enlightenment towards the mitigation of the use of tobacco and its corresponding effects.
