Devolution of health ministry raises questions

Devolution puts the future of Tobacco Control Cell at stake.

ISLAMABAD:

One wonders what message No Tobacco Day has to offer to the people of Pakistan with the imminent devolution of the Ministry of Health, under 18th amendment. This puts the future of Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) at stake.  Talking to The Express Tribune, sources were of the view that in order to effectively battle the issue, it is important to have one vision on its control. “However, this can only be done at the federal level as the cells being operated in the provinces simultaneously will only foster confusion and mixed regulatory strategy.”

The provincial bodies will not have the capacity, institutional setups, requisite training knowledge or experience to tackle the problem on their own. While the cost will go up due to parallel setups and duplication of activities, the effectiveness will go down, they added. On the federal level, the cell has been the instrumental in taking initiatives such as imposition of graphic health warnings, advertising campaigns and bans on smoking in public places. “There was a new drive towards stopping access of cigarettes to the youth but the devolution process might be a serious hurdle to this, eventuality,” added sources.

The lack of ability to introduce new effective regulations and means to enforce current laws will result in the tobacco industry reaping the benefits.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2011.