NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 26 – Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) specialists have today called on stakeholders in the health sector to embrace pragmatic strategies to reduce the negative effects of tobacco among the Kenyan populace.
Speaking at the inaugural Harm Reduction Society of Kenya workshop at a Nairobi Hotel today, the specialists said there’s need for the entrenchment of science-based regulation in Kenya to enable smokers transition from the more harmful traditional cigarettes to the less-riskier alternatives which will help them to quit smoking.
This, they said, would help lower the incidents of tobacco-related illnesses and deaths.
In Kenya, more than 8,000 people die of tobacco-related ailments, with tobacco use being singled-out as the leading cause of preventable deaths in Kenya according to data from the Ministry of Health. Kenya has about 2.3 million tobacco users – aged between 15 and 65 – according to the National Survey on the Status of Tobacco Use in Kenya.
Commenting on this, Harm Reduction Society of Kenya Secretary-General, Dr. Michael Kariuki, said: “We want to come up with pragmatic strategies that can be used to reduce tobacco harm on consumers and those around them through the use scientifically known methods that reduce harm and target the smoker so that they can be assisted to quit smoking. We urge stakeholders in the health sector in Kenya to consider this approach towards reducing the harm caused by tobacco to users and those around them.”
In particular, the specialists are calling on the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act to accommodate new products which carry reduced risk compared to cigarettes, arguing that their application in other countries has proven useful in helping smokers quit.
“We strongly recommend the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act so that it can recognize most of these novel products that are coming on board. The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that the young and the children are protected from these products whilst recognizing that some of these products have a safer safety profile as compared to traditional cigarettes which have been used elsewhere, like in the United Kingdom and in Sweden to assist smokers quit,” said Dr. Kariuki.
“I would also want to commend the Tobacco Control Board and the Ministry of Health for initiating the discussion in as far as regulation and amendment of the Tobacco Control Act is concerned. It is critical that these regulations are brought on board with further engagement done to ensure that we have proper legislation that is based on science,” he added.
The specialists singled out Sweden as a model example where Tobacco Harm Reduction has been successfully rolled out, helping to reduce tobacco-related deaths and subsequently helping to reduce the number of smokers.
“The idea is obviously not a copy-pasted approach, but that countries can look to Sweden and adopt the concept of harm reduction but tailor-make them to their countries. The reason why there Swedish has been so successful is because they have a variety of options for people and they don’t only have one option tailored to different tastes, and needs. Giving people alternatives to highly addictive and toxic traditional cigarettes is all about over options making them available, accessible and available,” said Dr. Suely Castro, Director Quit Like Sweden – a platform for people who want to make alternatives to smoking available to all adults seeking to quit smoking.
Source: capitalfm
