Catapulting funding crisis into opportunity by getting on track to end TB and tobacco use

Catapulting funding crisis into opportunity by getting on track to end TB and tobacco use

BOBBY RAMAKANT - CNS

The funding crises forced upon by the US government on several low- and middle-income countries is an opportunity in disguise to improve programme efficiency and outcome and invest optimally in health and development responses from domestic coffers.

Evidence shows that tobacco alone costs an economic loss of US$ 1.4 trillion every year. One can imagine the huge economic benefit if governments accelerate progress towards ending tobacco, and reducing burden of tobacco-caused diseases and untimely deaths, and averting this mountainous economic loss to global economy.

All governments can generate more domestic resources by following the science. "One of the scientific evidence-based tobacco control measures is to raise tobacco taxes. Taxation is one of the most effective ways of reducing tobacco use. Higher tobacco taxes raise tobacco prices, leading to reductions in tobacco consumption. Increasing the price of tobacco reduces tobacco use by discouraging initiation among potential users, encouraging current users to quit and helping to prevent relapse in those who have stopped," said Dr Tara Singh Bam, Asia Pacific Director (Tobacco Control), Vital Strategies, and honorary Board Director of Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT).

Dr Bam was delivering a public health guest lecture in the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Indonesia, on the topic: "Integrative approaches to end the double burden of tuberculosis and tobacco Use." It was organised by Udayana University and its Udayana CENTRAL (Centre for NCDs, Tobacco Control and Lung Health). This lecture was chaired by Dr Ketut Suarjana, Head of Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Udayana University, Indonesia.

Follow the science and raise tobacco taxes

Raising tobacco taxes is one of the six cost-effective and high impact measures to reduce demand for tobacco recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as part of its MPOWER package since 2008 onwards. All these six measures are in line with the legally binding global tobacco treaty (formally called the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC) which is ratified by 182 countries and the European Union. "Indonesia should also ratify it as it is the only country in Asia Pacific which has not done so," said Dr Bam.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).