MOH Ruhakana Rugunda in red tie with TC stakeholders at the Ministers Boardroom on Friday August 23
The TC stakeholders were on August 24 meeting the Minister under the newly formed Tobacco Control Coordination Mechanism, to brief him about the current state of affairs in tobacco control and to seek his support for the TC Bill, to be tabled in Parliament, by Hon. Chris Baryomunsi, as a private member’s bill. The meeting was convened by the Tobacco Control Focal Point of the Ministry of Health with support from CTCA.
Minister Rugunda stressed that he was happy about the coordinated approach exhibited by the stakeholders, including both government and Civil Society, and urged them to sustain such efforts so as to achieve the tobacco control agenda. He specifically challenged the Civil Society to be more visible and vigilant in pushing for the TC bill and TC implementation in general. He cautioned that although there is guaranteed support from government, there is still need to coordinate, mobilize, and sensitize the various sectors and ministries about tobacco control, so as to be on top of the situation.
On taxation of tobacco products, the Minister assured the stakeholders that this is a dynamic process which the government will continuously use to control dangerous habits like tobacco use.
The Representative from WHO, Prof. Robert Machangu’ gave a brief of the health burden of tobacco, noting that each year, six million lives are lost globally due to tobacco, after many years of suffering and expensive palliative treatment. Such deaths, he added, could be avoided with the implementation of proven tobacco control strategies as guided by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control ( WHO FCTC). Prof. Machangu’ stressed the need for the government not to permit the tobacco industry to make profits through marketing of addiction, and death, noting that an effective lgislation is one sure way of controlling the activities of the industry.
Dr. Sheila Ndyanabangi of the Ministry of Health said the main purpose of the WHO FCTC is to protect public health, based on the scientific evidence that tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, diseases and disability. She said Uganda signed the treaty in May 2004 and ratified it in June 2007, which obliges the country to implement the treaty without any reservations, and to adhere to the timetable laid out for implementation.
CTCA’s Manager Dr. Possy Mugyenyi said the Centre was established in 2011 as an African resource Centre aimed at supporting governments to develop policy and legislation for Tobacco control. He said the Centre is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through WHO, and is hosted by Makerere University School of Public Health. Dr. Mugyenyi called on the Minister to promote the Centre at both regional and international forums, as a host government.
Other areas that the stakeholders asked the Minister to support included; finalization of the tobacco control policy, allocation of funds and personnel for tobacco control, support to the proposed inter- ministerial tobacco control committee, policy guidance to other ministries on the establishment of smoke free public policies, submitting a Cabinet Memo for signing and ratifying the protocol for elimination of Illicit Trade in Tobacco and Tobacco products, and strengthening the coordination mechanism through the Tobacco Control Coordination Forum.
The TC stakeholders in attendance included; WHO Afro represented by the Capacity Development Team ( CDT), WHO Country Office, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Uganda National Health Consumers Organization (UNHCO), Uganda National Tobacco Control Association ( UNTCA), Uganda Health Communication Alliance (UHCA), Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa ( CTCA), and Ministry of Health, the Host.