Photo showing a Ghanaian Deputy Minister for Health, Hon. Dr. Oakley Quaye-Kumah

A Deputy Minister for Health, Hon. Dr. Oakley Quaye-Kumah, on Thursday 25, 2010, inaugurated a nine-member Local Planning Committee of the Second Working Group on Article 17 and 18 of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

He explained that Article 17 and 18 of the Framework Convention deal with provision of support of economically viable alternative activities and protection of the environment and the health of persons.

The Committee has Dr. Akwasi Osei as Chairman with Mrs. Edith Wellington, Mrs. Marian A. Tackie, Miss Sophia Twum-Barima, Mrs. Pearl Akiwumi-Siriboe, Representatives of Ministries of Food and Agriculture and Foreign Affairs in addition to Miss Martha Osei and Mr. Ben Ahiagbe, as members.

Hon. Quaye-Kumah disclosed that the main objectives of the Working Group is to interact with other global players, deliberate and strategise on alternative livelihoods on tobacco growing in order to protect the environment and the health of persons in the production and manufacturing areas of tobacco products.

He added that, this is also to elaborate recommendations on effective measures that parties may take to promote sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing, reiterating that the parties to the Convention also agree to protect the environment and the health of persons involved in tobacco cultivation and manufacture within their respective territories.

The Minister emphasised that tobacco smoking is unhealthy, causes chronic diseases and can possibly lead to death. The smoke damages the lung and is the principal cause of lung or bronchial cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease emphysema.

‘’What many people, smokers and non-smokers alike, may not know is that tobacco use increases risks of cancer at many sites in the body in addition to the lungs. These include the head and neck, urinary bladder and kidneys, uterine cervix, breast pancreas and colon.”

According to him, people who cultivate and handle tobacco leaves are equally at risks of tobacco related diseases, such as green tobacco sickness, pesticides intoxication, respiratory and dermatological disorders.

Source: ISD (Antoinette Mintah & Elvis Adjei-Baah)