CAIRO: Egypt is fully enforcing all key measures to decrease the usage of tobacco among the Egyptian population, according to Dr Abdel Rahman Shahin, media spokesperson of the Ministry of Health. Shahin's statement came in reaction to a report that was released by the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that it had "data proving that "not a single country fully implements all key tobacco control measures. However, Shahin told Daily News Egypt that the Ministry of Health in Egypt has made extensive efforts to decrease the usage of tobacco in the country. "We [the Ministry of Health], along with the Doctors' Syndicate, have succeeded in passing a new anti-smoking law that was approved by both the Shoura Council and the People's Assembly, Shahin said. Recently, as Shahin stated, the Ministry of Health has also established an anti-smoking committee headed by Minister of Health Dr Hatem Al-Gabaly. This committee, Shahin added, has conducted a report illustrating the means by which the anti-smoking law can be implemented. "The report included the regulations that would be taken against any violation of the key points of the anti-smoking law, Shahin added. According to Shahin, the anti-smoking law forces all tobacco companies that sell their products in Egypt to put bigger warning logos against smoking along with pictures of cancer patients on all the packets of its tobacco products. The size of those warning logos and pictures must be half the size of the tobacco packet. "I know that it will take a while before those packets begin to appear in the market because the tobacco companies print millions of packets, so it will take a while before they start to print new packets that follow the new regulations and have the warning logos and patients' pictures on them, Shahin said. The Ministry of Health has also obliged all tobacco companies to donate money to be used in treating cancer patients or patients with diseases that result from smoking. The new anti-smoking law, according to Shahin, also forbids any store, supermarket or tobacco company from selling tobacco products to children younger than 18. "The Ministry will also do check-ups on all the places that sell tobacco products, sports clubs, and public transportation to make sure that children are not smoking, Shahin added. The WHO report, which presents the first broad analysis of global tobacco use and control efforts, indicates that only five percent of the world's population live in countries that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates. The report listed six policies that should be forced by governments to lower its smoking rate. The six policies are: monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; protecting people from tobacco smoke; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising; promotion and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco. "While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor, and when combined as a package they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic, said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, who launched the report. The report also stated, according to the WHO press release, that governments around the world collect 500 times more money in tobacco taxes each year than they spend on anti-smoking efforts. Also according to the report, there is an epidemic shift to the developing world, "where 80 percent of the more than 8 million annual tobacco-related deaths projected by 2030 are expected to occur. This shift, the report said, results from a global tobacco industry strategy that targets young people and adults in the developing world, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted every year. The report also stated that young women in particular "are highlighted as one of the most ominous potential developments of the epidemic's growth. Last November, Eastern Tobacco Company, the only local Egyptian tobacco company, submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture to cultivate tobacco in Upper Egypt. A member of the Eastern Tobacco board, who wished to remain anonymous, explained to Daily News Egypt that the move was motivated by the company's desire to be free from dependence on foreign exports, and is not about financial gain or an increase in production. However, Dr Fatimah El-Awa, regional advisor of the Tobacco-Free Initiative Focal Point, Health and Human Rights at the WHO, was troubled to hear of Eastern Tobacco's request. Her dismay was shared by Dr Hamdy Al-Sayed, chairman of the Doctors' Syndicate. Chairman of Eastern Tobacco Mohamed Sadek, in a television interview, defended the company's right to make such a request. "Tobacco is being planted everywhere in the world, he said. In an interview with Daily News Egypt, company board member also defended the company's plans, saying that "it is not by any means encouraging smoking or pollution, but is rather providing a product that is in high demand. Dr Farid Ismail, member of the People's Assembly's health committee, told Daily News Egypt that the committee was very upset with the news. The company's request comes on the heels of efforts by the government and the WHO to eliminate smoking in Egypt. The WHO urged the Minister of Information to run a bar at the bottom of television series broadcast during Ramadan advising viewers against smoking by highlighting the health risks. An official fatwa prohibiting smoking issued by former Grand Mufti Nasr Farid Wassel was recently reissued by incumbent Mufti Ali Gomaa.
