BDNews24.com, Singapur 20 de marzo de 2012

Take tobacco firms head-on: WHO Tue, Mar 20th, 2012 6:48 pm BdST  Nurul Islam Hasib  bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent from Singapore  Singapore, Mar 20 (bdnews24.com)—The World Health Organisation director-general has urged governments to stand 'rock hard' against what she said despicable efforts of the tobacco industry to undermine the tobacco control strategies.  Dr Margaret Chan made the call in the keynote remarks at the opening ceremony of the 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in the Southeast Asian city-state on Tuesday.  The WHO chief termed tobacco industries "ruthless and devious enemy" whose products "kill nearly 6 million people each year".  "This conference is being held at a time when we are at a crossroads in our efforts to rid the world of a killing addiction," she said. "In principle, the balance is entirely in our favour."  But she warned, the tobacco industry has changed its face and tactics. "The wolf is no longer in sheep's clothing, and its teeth are bared."  "Tactics aimed at undermining anti-tobacco campaigns, and subverting the Framework Convention, are no longer covert or cloaked by an image of corporate social responsibility.  "They are out in the open and they are extremely aggressive," Dr Chan said, portraying experiences of Uruguay, Norway, Australia, and Turkey where the governments are facing costly legal battles in court after going tough on tobacco industries.  While citing more instances where tobacco companies made 'direct' interferences with a country's internal affairs, the WHO chief underscored the need for coalitions of civil society.  "Experience has shown that when government political resolve falters or weakens under industry pressure, coalitions of civil society can take up the slack and carry the day," she said. "We need this kind of outcry, this kind of rage."  "Shaping public opinion is vital. If tough tobacco legislation wins votes, politicians will back it, and fight back against industry."  While coming down heavily on tobacco industries, the WHO chief tried to motivate over 2,500 delegates from 100 countries generating enthusiastic response from the audience.  "There are industry people intruding into the meeting. Let them hear our messages," Dr Chan said amidst laugh and claps.  Showing evidence for the physical harm and soaring economic costs of tobacco use, she hoped the conference would damage 'the health' of tobacco industries that she said aggressively sells a health-destroying addiction.  Since tobacco use is the world's number one preventable killer, the WHO chief said in a world undergoing economic upheaval and soaring medical costs, "tackling a huge and entirely preventable cause of disease and death becomes all the more imperative".  In a pre-conference media workshop, different developing countries revealed their experiences of how tobacco companies stand in the way of tougher tobacco control law.  Bhavna Mukhopadhyay of Voluntary Health Association of India said the government cannot impose pictorial warnings on tobacco packs because of companies' interferences.  As WHO estimates show Bangladesh spends twice the money it earns from tobacco producers to treat tobacco-related illnesses, the government was moving to finalise a stricter tobacco control law amending the 2005 one.  A bdnews24.com investigation recently found that British American Tobacco company's interference stopped the law from being passed.  Matt Mayers, president of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told bdnews24.com that industries targeted developing world due to lax tobacco control law.  "Based on experiences of different countries we can say countries do not suffer anyway (economically) if they increase taxes on tobacco products."  As host of the world's leading conference on tobacco, Singapore has distinguished itself as one of the region's leading advocates against tobacco use.  "Singapore is the first in the world to impose duty-paid marking on cigarettes to counter illicit trade, the first Asian nation to make graphic health warnings mandatory and also a global forerunner in having a comprehensive smoke-free ban," said Hak Seng, chief executive officer, Singapore's Health Promotion Board.  Declaring the conference open, Singapore's health minister Gan Kim Yong said tobacco control was one of the top priorities in Singapore's public health efforts.  bdnews24.com/nih/bd/1842h  Tomado de; http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=220701&cid=2