Nearly 60 die daily from smoking in Sri Lanka

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

According to statistics of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) smoking kills 50 to 60 persons everyday and 15,000-20,000 persons annually in Sri Lanka, NATA Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka said, participating in a workshop held yesterday at the Information Department.

Prof.  Carlo Fonseka

These statistics show that 4,101 million cigarettes are sold daily in the Sri Lankan market.

According to WHO the spread of tobacco related diseases is facilitated through a variety of complex factors with cross-border effects, including trade liberalization and direct foreign investment.

Other factors such as global marketing, transnational tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and the international movement of contraband and counterfeit cigarettes have also contributed to the explosive increase in tobacco use.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first treaty negotiated under the WHO.

It is necessary to monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, protect people from tobacco smoke, offer help to quit tobacco use, warn about the dangers of tobacco, enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raise taxes on tobacco to reduce the number of deaths due to smoking and prevent addiction. NATA, Alcohol and Drug information Centre (ADIC) and WHO at present are conducting a series of programmes in this regard, Prof Fonseka said.

NATA Special Operation Center was established in the Regional Health Services Department, Anuradhapura. The hot line 1948 is open to the general public to obtain guidance and directions to stop tobacco and alcohol use.

ADIC Chairman Olcot Gunasekara, NATA consultant Sajeeva Ranaweera, ADIC Senior Programme Manager Sampath de Saram and many other officials of NATA, ADIC and WHO participated in the workshop.