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Alcohol is ‘one of primary causes for underdevelopment in Guyana’
…. but Gov’t collects $2B in taxes from sales
The two-day discussion is underway at the Cara Lodge
By Fareeza Haniff
As the Ministry of Health struggles to deal with the issue of alcohol consumption in the country, especially as it relates to young people indulging themselves, it has been revealed that alcohol is one of the primary causes for underdevelopment in Guyana.
This is according to Health Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who noted that the government also collects some $2 billion in taxes from alcohol purchases, on a yearly basis.
According to Dr. Ramsammy, the taxes collected represent just a small part of what the government actually spends on the health sector in Guyana.
“And what we spend on health is not all we have to spend to overcome the problems of alcohol use. We spend $12 billion and much of it goes to treating alcohol-related conditions and the risk factors,” Dr. Ramsammy said.
In an effort to deal with the issue of young people consuming alcohol, the Health Ministry and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) is hosting a two-day discussion (yesterday and today) on alcohol control at Cara Lodge on Quamina Street, Georgetown.
Minister Ramsammy is of the view that the discussion will make a difference in the lives of families, communities and the country as a whole.
He also noted that no one has recognised the fact that alcohol is the primary cause of poverty in the world.
In this regard, he urged parents who send their children to purchase alcohol to be locked up along with shop owners who sell it to the children.
“These policies need to be made clear and there should be no flexibility in enforcing those laws,” Minister Ramsammy said.
Dr. Ramsammy explained that although it is not recognised, alcohol influences people unduly and the lifestyles they have chosen.
“All experts, by looking at things we need to address for HIV, have neglected alcohol. Global Fund and all programmes that provide resources for mitigation of risk factors have rarely addressed alcohol. Substance abuse has been addressed, including cocaine and marijuana, but alcohol has not been properly placed,” the Health Minister noted. According to Minister Ramsammy, alcohol is a major cause of HIV transmission in any part of the world, while domestic violence is caused by the inappropriate use of alcohol. “These are truths… these are cold hard facts that stare at us. Young people’s lives are shattered by cocaine and marijuana…but more young people’s lives are shattered…their dreams destroyed by the use of alcohol.”
It was noted that close to 60 percent of youths between the ages of 13 and 15 would have taken a drink at some time. “Some call it just giving it a try, experimentation, some misguided older people say, ‘leave the young people; let them experiment’.”
The Health Minister added that the greater cause for the number of physical disabilities is due to the use of alcohol as well.
He explained that a lot of money is spent on schools, some of which could have been put to better use if alcohol was not a problem.
According to Health Minister Ramsammy, children don’t go to school while teachers can’t do their work properly because of drinking too late the night before, and that there are parents who drink and don’t have time to send their children to school. These, he said, are the social costs of alcohol.
“A quarter of our children, when you believe they are doing their homework, or studying, or going to church, are really getting drunk and God knows what else happens during that time.”
While Dr. Ramsammy admitted that this is a national problem, at the end of the day it comes down to personal responsibility.
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