The ministry of health is developing a tobacco control policy, intended to boost the fight against smoking in the country.
Dr Sheila Ndyanabangi, the tobacco control focal person, says the policy is aimed at bolstering the current tobacco laws in addition to spelling out the roles of stakeholders as well as enforcement.
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Dr Ndyanabangi says the fight against tobacco smoking in Ugand has been thwarted mainly by the lack of enforcement mechanisms.
She says stakeholders like the National Environment Management Authority and bar owners, should help enforce anti-smoking regulations like non-smoking in public places.
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Meanwhile, Patrick Sekitoleko, the products development officer of Uganda National Bureau of Standards, says they have agreed with tobacco industry players that the bold and clear health warnings on tobacco packages start in November this year.
Sekitoleko says the warning: SMOKING CAUSES LUNG CANCER, HEART DISEASES AND DEATH would cover 30 percent of the packages and will also include the percentages of nicotine, tar and carbon in the tobacco.
But anti-smoking activist Dr Margaret Mungherera criticizes the standards bureau for over engaging the tobacco companies, saying it is like engaging a mosquito on whether or not to bite and infect someone with malaria parasites.
The state minister of health in charge general duties, Dr Richard Nduhura, says government intends to increase taxes on tobacco, to make it out of reach of many in addition to upping awareness on its side effects.
