Editorial
Media, FDA must not relent in fight against secondhand smoking
Secondhand smoke poses grave danger to the health of non smokers
Dear Editor,
As I walk through public spaces, I’m reminded of the lingering threat of secondhand smoke.
Despite the progress in anti-smoking campaigns, innocent bystanders continue to suffer from the harmful effects of secondhand smoking.
The facts are alarming.
Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are carcinogenic.
Tobacco use in Ghana is said to result in over 6,700 deaths annually with related illness accounting for 3 per cent deaths in the country.
These includes cancers, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory conditions.
According to the Centre for Disease Control Prevention, a 100 per cent smoke-free and tobacco-free environment is the most comprehensive approach to ensure health and safety.
Children are particularly vulnerable, with increased risk of asthma, bronchitis, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Pregnant women exposed to secondhand smoke face higher risks of miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birth weight.
To protect public health, there should be stricter enforcement of smoke-free laws initiated by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in public spaces.
Smoking at these public places such as pubs, restaurants, work places, supermarkets, children’s playground and hospitals should be discourage and culprit punished to serve as deterrent to others.
The media should also increase awareness campaigns highlighting secondhand smoke risks.
We must prioritise the health and well-being of nonsmokers to ensure a healthy environment by partnering the FDA to stop secondhand smoking.
It is a collective responsibility and we must all come on board to support the FDA to address this concern in the country.
Anita Nyarko-Yirenkyi,
Accra
Editorial
Merits and demerits of scraping betting tax
Dear Editor,
Over the past years, a lot of concerns have been raised about the rise of sports betting companies in the country, their operations, and how it impacted negatively on the youth of the country.
I have also witnessed how some of the youth go to the extent of borrowing money from friends or use companies’ money to stake bets, which they were not guaranteed of winning.
Due to this, I was happy when the previous government introduced the betting tax, as I felt it would deter the youth from engaging in it.
However, some Ghanaians hold the view that the betting tax would help create employment.
It wasn’t surprising to see the excitement that greeted the announcement of the scrapping of the tax by the Finance Minister.
My worry now is how, as a country, the youth can be discouraged from engaging in betting.
I believe that as the betting tax has been scrapped, it is about time that the government finds ways of addressing the issue of betting among the youth as it is becoming more serious than before.
I believe that there should be a multi-stakeholder engagement between the various stakeholders to proffer solutions to address them.
Editorial
Rail crossing point at circle- Kaneshie road needs attention
Dear Editor,
I read with happiness a letter published in the previous edition about the poor state of the rail crossing stretch of the Circle-Kaneshie road.
I totally agree with the concerns raised by the writer and I wish to add my voice to the call on the authorities to quickly work on that stretch of the road.
What the writer left out was the occasional happenings when vehicles break down on the rail line. I have witnessed that before.
It is not a comfortable thing driving on it at all. It is a huge dent on the beauty the interchange was expected to bring to the area.
The traffic it creates is a major inconvenience to people who are rushing to work.
I wish to appeal to the authorities to quickly do something about that portion of the road to make it convenient for drivers. Thank you for the space.
Maxwell Amamoo,
Odorkor
