Participants at the end of a 2nd High-Level Meeting in Accra on the passage of the draft National Alcohol Control Regulations have called on duty bearers to expedite passage of the policy.
The meeting was on the theme: “Harnessing the Reet Agenda to stimulate healthy lifestyle, reduce health risks and promote wellness through the passage of the draft National Alcohol Control Regulations in Ghana.”
It was organised by the National Policy Alliance – Ghana (GhanAPA) in Accra on Friday.
It was attended by representatives from Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Mental Health Authority, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority, West African Alcohol Alliance, among other institutions.
They called on the Government, Ministry of Health, and Parliament to ensure urgent presentation and passage of the regulations while urging the government to protect public health policies and the National Alcohol Policy from commercial and vested interest.
The participants recommended for the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Parliament to allocate adequate and sustainable financing for the implementation of the National Alcohol Policy 2016 and Section 173 (3)(f) of Public Health Act 2012.
They further called on Parliament to expedite actions on the passage of the Amended Road Traffic Act and that the National Road Safety Authority should be adequately funded.
They also recommended that tax revenue generated from alcoholic beverage should be used for the prevention of alcohol related diseases and rehabilitation centres should be set up and funded.
Mr Benjamin Anabila, the Chairman of GhanAPA, in a welcoming address expressed displeasure that Ghana which was the only country that had alcohol policy in place before the formation of alliances in other countries in West Africa up to date did not have national alcohol control regulation policy.
“Ironically, Hon. Chair, countries like Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia that were looking up to us have developed their policies in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively and have gone ahead of Ghana which had its policy in 2016, and these countries have their draft regulations before their parliament for passage,” he stated.
Mr Anabila said this should be a wakeup call to Ghana to expedite the draft regulations which was with the Ministry of Health to Cabinet and parliament for passage.
He explained that the urgent call for the alcohol regulations was that alcohol consumption according to the WHO has no safe level of consumption and the statistics were so scary.
“Hon. Chair, it is my hope that we shall move from this stage to see the alcohol legislation in parliament and passage by next year that we shall be meeting for another high-level meeting as this,” he concluded.
Dr Mark Kurt Nawane, Chairman, Health Committee of Parliament and the Member of Parliament for Nabdam, who presided over the meeting gave the assurance that the committee would not hesitate in passing the regulations into law as soon as it is presented to Parliament.
“As we speak now the bill has been passed into law, but I think the L.I. or the regulations are with the Ministry of Health, and it is supposed to go to Cabinet before it comes back to Parliament.
“So, as your parliamentarian and the chairman of the health committee I can assure you that once it goes through the process, that is through the Executive Arm of government and comes back to parliament.
“We will ensure that the health committee with the Subsidiary Legislation Committee will sit down and within the shortest possible time pass it into regulation for the country,” Dr Nawane assured.
Source: GNA
The post GhanAPA high-level meeting calls for urgent passage of the National Alcohol Control Regulations appeared first on Ghana Business News.
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