Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Ramsammy expresses disappointed in CARICOM and Tourism Ministry
Tobacco Standards
By Fareeza Haniff
As the Ministry of Health plans to make the fight against tobacco more robust in 2010, Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has expressed his disappointment in the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce along with CARICOM for not rigorously implementing the tobacco standards in Guyana and in the wider Caribbean.
At his press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Ramsammy said that he is ‘disappointed’ that thus far the recommendations of the tobacco council for a revision of the labeling and packaging standards in Guyana has not yet been implemented.
Guyana is one of the countries where there are standards for labeling and packaging of tobacco products.
“But those standards are not consistent with the provision of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is the first and only health treaty in history for which every country in the world agreed. It stipulates that warning labelling should not be less than 50 per cent on each surface,” Dr. Ramsammy said.
The tobacco standard, when approved by Cabinet will ensure that there is a 50 per cent pictorial health warning on the top half (back and front) of cigarette packages.
Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy
In 2005, Guyana signed on to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), where there are several articles within that treaty that addresses the control of tobacco as well as its demand and supply.
Since then, Governments had three years to implement the various principles of the treaty but Guyana is in breach of Article 11, which deals specifically with the packaging and labeling of tobacco products.
This article demands that Governments implement pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages, but to date, this is still to be done in Guyana.
Although Guyana developed the standards for the tobacco labeling and packaging, it is yet to be approved by the Tourism Ministry, which also has the responsibility for Trade.
The standard was sent to that Ministry six months ago, and until now the Health Ministry and the Tobacco Council is waiting for it to be approved.
But what Dr. Ramsammy is more disappointed about is the fact that although extensive consultations were held in Guyana before the establishment of the standards, the Tourism Ministry wants to do another consultation.
“In spite of our wide consultation and in spite of the fact that the Ministry of Health and the Tobacco Council all agreed on this, they (the Tourism Ministry) need to do their own consultations. And in their own consultations, include talking to the tobacco companies. But I am disappointed that almost after the six months that we have agreed on new standards in Guyana that we are still under going further discussions,” Dr. Ramsammy explained.
The Health Minister also expressed his dissatisfaction with consumer groups in Guyana who believe that the Ministry of Health should afford the tobacco company a greater voice.
But it was noted that the tobacco company was indeed involved in the initial stages of consultations held by the Health Ministry and the Tobacco Council.
Additionally, Minister Ramsammy is urging for CARICOM to work more diligently in implementing the regional tobacco standards.
According to Dr. Ramsammy, the Heads of Government and the Ministers of Health and Trade agreed a while ago to establish regional standards for tobacco.
This agreement saw the establishment of the Caribbean Regional Standards Agency (CROSS Q), located in Barbados. Several years ago, this agency has been mandated by the Ministers of Health in the Caribbean to establish the Caribbean Regional Standards on Packaging and Labeling of Tobacco products and although the agency has received recommendations from various countries over the last six months, it has not been implemented.
“People continue to be exposed; people continue to get sick and people are dying because of the exposure of tobacco smoke and we are still dilly dallying on standards that are meant to provide more protection.”
According to the Health Minister, CROSS Q is stating that the pictures that have been proposed to be used on the tobacco packages are from other countries and thus, permission needs to be given from these countries in order for it to be used.
“Since when is a health message protected by intellectual property rights? These are public good and public good cannot be subject to an intellectual property right restriction.”
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