Veep calls for support of smoke-free law
By Times Reporter
VICE-PRESIDENT, George Kunda, has said there is need to ensure that the law against smoking passed by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing statutory instrument is supported through strong and consistent enforcement.
Mr Kunda said in Lusaka yesterday that the enforcement of the law prohibiting smoking in public places and promotion of smoking cessation was feasible as long as there was commitment from all stakeholders to the programme.
Mr Kunda said this in a speech read on his behalf by Health Deputy Minister, Mwendoi Akakandelewa, during the Zambia Tobacco control campaign programme at Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) in Lusaka.
The Government last year issued Statutory Instrument number 39 of 2008, which prohibits smoking in public places.
“Looking at the number of illnesses that tobacco consumption causes and the cost of medication that goes with the treatment, we need to ensure that the smoke-free law that was promulgated by the Local Government and statuary instrument is supported through strong and consistent enforcement activities,” he said.
He said there was also need to scale up community sensitisation programmes on the dangers of tobacco smoking both in active or passive state.
He said tobacco smoking caused a number of deaths than HIV and AIDS.
Mr Kunda said the number of tobacco-attributed deaths worldwide had risen to more than five million.
Mr Kunda said in order to mitigate the impact of the alarming situation, the Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, acceded to the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) on May 28, last year.
He said the WHO framework convention on tobacco control was the first ever international piece of legislation whose main objective is to protect the current and future generations from devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
He said the Africa Tobacco situation analysis project, being funded by the Melinda and Bill Gates foundation and managed though the international development research centre in Canada to which Zambia is a party, would come up with tangible evidence for policy and programme implementation.
Mr Kunda said in this project, stakeholders were looking forward to the development and implementation of a comprehensive multi-sectoral national tobacco control strategies.
Speaking earlier during the launch of the ‘Smoke-free Lusaka campaign’, city mayor Robert Chikwelete said it was estimated that one billion people would die form tobacco smoke-related illnesses during this century.
Mr Chikwelete said bars and restaurants should also comply with the non-smoking law and warned that the Lusaka City Council would monitor them to ensure that there was compliance.
