– Ramsammy points to local advocacy for higher import taxes
For the first time, delegates from all 193 member states of World Health Organisation (WHO) reached consensus at the recent annual assembly on a resolution to confront the harmful use of alcohol — which contributes to poor health globally, can devastate families and damage the structure of communities.
According to a WHO release, every year the harmful use of alcohol kills 2.5 million people, including 320,000 young people between 15 and 29 years of age. The global organisation listed alcohol as the eighth leading risk factor for deaths globally, and harmful use of alcohol was responsible for almost 4% of all deaths in the world, according to the estimates for 2004.
The health ministers at the just concluded assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland agreed to try to curb binge drinking and other growing forms of excessive alcohol use through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations.
According to the WHO, the ten main policy recommendations of the global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol while adopted by all the countries are not binding but rather serve as guidance to the member states.
On the local front, Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy when questioned what this means for Guyana said he could not speak on the issue until he made a report to his Cabinet colleagues. But when further pressed he did say that his ministry will, among other things, keep advocating for higher taxes to be imposed on the importation of alcohol.
Guyana will soon embark on a major strengthening of its surveillance system through the collection of comprehensive and reliable data. Ramsammy had said that in order to be able to develop policies and strategies to address the many problems associated with alcohol, there is need for data, hence the move to strengthen the surveillance system, a part of which consists of the enhancement programme to obtain data relating to alcohol abuse.
It is for this reason that Guyana last year became a participating country in the PAHO/WHO-funded Valencia project; the other participating countries are Panama, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
According to Ramsammy, the project consists of three surveys: the Brief Intervention Survey; Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An international survey (GENACIS); and the Emergency Room Study (ER Study).
He said the ministry was currently preparing to conduct the first GENACIS survey which would be undertaken in Regions Three and Four and would be coordinated by the Surveillance Department of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with PAHO and the Bureau of Statistics.
A total of 2,000 households would be surveyed and both the households and the interviewees would be randomly selected according to the standard procedures of the Bureau of Statistics.
Policy options
Meanwhile, according to WHO, in addition to the resolution, a global strategy developed by WHO in close collaboration with member states provides a portfolio of policy options and interventions for implementation at national level with the goal to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide.
It said the resolution endorses the strategy and urges countries to complement and support national responses to public health problems caused by the harmful use of alcohol.
Ten recommended target areas for policy options include health services’ responses, community action, pricing policies and reducing the public health impact of illicit alcohol and informally produced alcohol. WHO was also requested to support countries in implementing the strategy and monitor progress at global, regional and national levels.
“The resolution and the strategy set priority areas for global action, provide guidance to countries and give a strong mandate to WHO to strengthen action at all levels on reducing harmful use of alcohol,“ WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Ala Alwan said.
Harmful drinking is also a major avoidable risk factor for non-communicable diseases, in particular cardiovascular diseases, cirrhosis of the liver and various cancers. It is also associated with various infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB, as well as road traffic accidents, violence and suicides.
Successful implementation of the strategy will require concerted action by countries, effective global governance and appropriate engagement of all relevant stakeholders. To this end, WHO will also encourage that the strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol are included as an integral part of work on global development and in related investment decisions.
A study done by WHO had found that the harmful use of alcohol is one of the main risk factors to health.
“It is responsible each year for about 2.3 million premature deaths worldwide. Injuries – both unintentional and intentional – account for more than a third of the burden of disease attributable to alcohol consumption.
These include injuries from road traffic crashes, burns, poisoning, falls and drowning as well as violence against oneself or others. The impact of alcohol-related injuries affects not only those who are intoxicated at the time of injury occurrence, but also those who fall victim to their behaviour.
These include the pedestrian or cyclist knocked over by a drunk driver or the woman or children beaten by a drunk husband or father,” the study had concluded.