Tobacco tax should pay for health promotion

(CNS): Taxes accumulated by government on the sale of tobacco, cigarettes and cigars ought to be earmarked for health promotion and disease prevention, according to an expert speaking at the Healthcare 20/20 conference that took place in Cayman mid November. Dr Jean Marie Rwangabwoba, a doctor and epidemiologist from the Pan American Health Organisation specialising in disease prevention, was speaking on a panel that discussed the impact of chronic non-communicable diseases on workplace productivity at Cayman’s first healthcare conference.

Healthcare 20/20 brought together doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners from Cayman and the region to hear the latest on medical issues as they relate to the Cayman Islands.

Dr Rwangabwoba said that countries such as the Cayman Islands needed to establish a national commission on non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes) to co-ordinate NCD prevention, and that governments should use tobacco tax to fund health promotions.

“Governments should increase the price of tobacco and tobacco-related products, restrict public smoking and give people access to nicotine replacements,” he said.

Local medical doctor, Dr Sook Yin, who is also a Director of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, wholeheartedly agrees with this proposal.

“I think designating the tax collected on tobacco and alcohol for prevention programmes and educating young people is an excellent idea,” she stated. “If we properly educate the public and can detect non communicable diseases early enough we can ease the economic burden of the aging population.”

Christine Sanders, former COO of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, agrees with Dr Rwangabwoba: “I am all for it and definitely think it could work as long as they pooled the expertise of the various NGOs. Perhaps NGOs could apply for a grant for a specific programme aimed at preventing non-communicable diseases,” she said.

Dr Yin believes Cayman needs to develop programmes in the community which reach out via early screening as many people do not have the money to get screened for indicators of NCDs, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose readings. And with obesity on the rise in increasingly younger children, the issue is only getting worse.

“We need to put money back into health,” she declared. “I think the taxes on tobacco should be increased to act as a deterrent for young people so that they don’t pick up the habit in the first place.”

CNS has asked the Ministry of Health to comment and is waiting for a response.