Anti Smoking Program
The beginning was in January 1979, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia submitted in the 6th Health Ministers’ Council Conference – a working paper on combating smoking in the GCC states. The paper involved many programs : to prohibit smoking in the health and educational establishments to increase health education about the health hazards of smoking and prevent advertisements on tobacco in the media. All the GCC states unanimously agreed on this paper. Consequently, there was a need to establish a technical committee in the executive board of the health ministers’ council for the GCC states to plan and follow up implementing resolutions and recommendations issued by the Council in the field of smoking (tobacco) control. More than 32 resolution including more than 40 item were issued. Of course, these had a positive impact on restraining the smoking epidemic in addition to facing the very fierce campaigns led by the tobacco companies in the region. Of the most important resolutions issued are the following:
1- Resolutions that ban advertisement for cigarettes and tobacco in its various form in the media, e.g. local newspapers and magazines, radio and television.
2- Resolutions that demand the reduction of the nicotine content to 0.6 in each cigarette.
3- The Ministers of Health decided to stress the importance of effective enforcement of legislations related to banning smoking at schools, colleges and institutes in general.
They also decided on stopping the activities of the so-called META (Middle East Tobacco Association) in the Gulf region. In order to face its attempts to seduce the youth and other age groups. In the Meantime, the custom tariffs on cigarettes are being continuously raised, reaching now 150%.
In this regard, the World Health Organization awarded the Executive Board of the Health Ministers Council for GCC States its award for tobacco control in 1999 in appraisal for its outstanding efforts in the field of minimizing the hazards of smoking in the Gulf region.
The world celebrates annually the World Anti-smoking Day on the 31st of May every year, where on that day ministries and agencies interested in public health and combating smoking in the world actively dedicate their efforts for health education about the hazards of smoking using the various means of media, such as interviews, newsletters and posters.
In implementation of resolution No. 8 issued by the 50th conference of the Health Ministers’ Council for GCC States held in Kuwait in the period from 14-15 Dhul-Qaadah 1421 AH (9-10 January, 2001 AD), the resolution was circulated to all member states in order to follow up implementation of its items.
On the other hand, the Director General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States was addressed with regard to the said resolution. He requested that the different items in the resolution be presented to the specialized council in order to help supporting their implementation, especially those related to increasing the custom tariffs and to increasing the space for the health warning on cigarette packets (according to the letter No. 3391 dated 21 January 2001.
To strengthen collaboration with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, the Executive Office had participated in the WHO Consultation of Litigation and Public Inquiries as Public Health Tools for Tobacco Control organized by EMRO in Amman, Jordan in the period from 5-7 February, 2001.
The Executive Office is currently participating in the preliminary meeting held in the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States to study the economic impact of banning advertisement for tobacco and its products in the media in the GCC States, this was previously requested by their excellencies the Ministers of Information.
The questionnaire prepared by the EMRO about anti-smoking program was filled by each of the member states and sent back to the regional office for data analysis.
A working paper on “Tobacco Epidemic and How to Combat it”, prepared by Dr. Abdallah Al-Bedah, and revised by Dr. Tawfik Khoja was circulated to the member states as well as the Cooperation Council (according to letter No. 3458 dated 29th Shawwal, 1421 AH) and efforts were materialized to implement its contents. The said paper is currently documented, in booklet, as a guide policy for anti-smoking.
Efforts are vigorously made to follow up on the member states and the General Secretariat for the Cooperation Council requesting them to stop the activities of META (Middle East Tobacco Association). Steps were taken in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the form of circulation of this request to the concerned bodies in this respect.
Gulf Standardization Organization was inquired about standards of Mu’assl (a mild tasting tobacco, due to its preparation with molasses, glycerin, fragrant oil or essences) with the proposal of updating the standards of tobacco and its products, especially cigarettes.
As for increasing the custom tariffs from 100% to 150%, it was implemented in Qatar. On the other hand, the Sultanate of Oman is coordinating efforts with related bodies in the Sultanate in this regard.
According to the directions of HE Prof. Dr. Ossama Shobokshi, the Minister of Health in Saudi Arabia, the Executive Board is underway forming a subcommittee to study various alternatives in relation to raising the prices of cigarettes in the Gulf States. In coordination with the members states, the framework of this proposal is being prepared to be presented to the next Health Ministers’ Council meeting.
The Health Ministers’ Council issued 22 resolutions related to smoking control, each involving many paragraphs and items which, thanks Allah, had been implemented successfully.
Coordination is underway with the EMRO to provide the Executive Board with some information on tobacco prices, custom % in the neighboring countries so as to be used in preparing the proposed working paper.
An educational poster on the occasion of the World Anti-smoking Day (May 31st, 2001) was made, and it was circulated to all member states and the health institutions by the Executive Board.
The fourth stage of the audiovisual program SALAMATAK , meaning “Your Safety” which was just executed (it includes health education messages about the hazards of smoking) is being televised and broadcasted in the member states.
The periodic magazine called “SEHAT AL-KHALEEJ”, meaning “The Gulf Health” – issued by the Executive Board is keen on having every now and then some main articles on the health hazards of smoking. In addition, a series of articles is being published in the current issues of the magazine about combating smoking health hazards in the Council’s States.
With regard to deduction of 5% from tobacco taxes to be allocated for control of smoking, this unfortunately did not take place till now. But, there are some serious efforts along this direction. Qatar Sates agreed to set 2% of tobacco taxes for controlling smoking, and the Sultanate of Oman allocated a lump sum of ( ) out of the 2001 budget for the same purpose. Communications are being made in Saudi Arabia in this respect.
CONSTRAINTS:
1. The lobby formed by the tobacco companies and their agents in the member states through traders has a great impact on issuing and implementing the Ministers’ resolutions.
2. There is a great deal of difficulty in implementing the Ministers’ resolutions the latter being connected with other governmental offices, e.g. customs, information, finance, and others. These are independent offices which have their administrative character.
3. Weak continuous follow up with these offices in addition to the effect of the health personnel, inside the member states.
4. The role of the States’ representatives has to be made more effective. This might be realized through organizing a meeting for the Smoking Control Committee, and symposia, in other words activating the work of the committee and the symposia (they have not convened since 3 years).
The programmes of tobacco combating and limiting its dangers through defining restrictions for this, foremost among which reducing the nicotine and the tar content in the imported cigarettes and raising the custom tariff on the tobacco and its products and forbidding smoking in the work places, the public closed places, the means of the internal transportation in the Member States are major achievements.
Moreover, generalizing and unifying the terms warning against the harms on the cigarette packets obliging the producing companies to print the production date on them is applied to all cigarette imported into GCC States.
Other Measures for Tobacco Control
The Council also issued more than 36 resolutions in the field of tobacco control that dealt with measures the foremost of which was forbidding advertising for tobacco and its products in the national media (this is partially implemented in most of the Council States), forbidding competitions organized by the tobacco companies and forbidding donations of gifts and other promotion with cigarette packets, forbidding smoking in the workplaces, closed places and `public transportation. Added to this, smoking and selling of cigarettes on board of Gulf airlines as well as national ones, and in flights among the member states, were prohibited. Above all, establishment of tobacco factories is entirely prohibited in the region.
The last few years witnessed, too, other additional measures to control tobacco, namely:
* Increasing the custom tariff on tobacco and its products to 100%.
* Ieduction of the nicotine content in the imported cigarettes in all Council States to 0.6 mg and tar to 10 mg.
* The formulation of a “Unified Gulf Tobacco Control Strategy” (presented to the Council in its forty sixth conference held in Muscat - Oman, in February 1999; and then to the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for other ministries and concerned bodies to take part implementation.
* organizing ten symposia for health education about the health hazards of smoking in Bahrain (in 1992), Muscat - Oman (in 1994), Doha - Qatar (in 1996) and the fourth symposium is going to be held in Abu Dhabi in November 1999 and on.
The World Health Organization awarded the Executive Board of the Health Minister’s Council for the Gulf Cooperation Council States the award for Tobacco Control for the year 1999 in appraisal of the continuous efforts exerted by the Executive Board in the Gulf region in the field of tobacco control.