THE Department of Health Davao Region (DOH-Davao) has called for stronger anti-smoking measures, inter-agency collaboration and active community participation, in a bid to curb the long-term impact of tobacco-related diseases.
Rosemarie Basañes, DOH-Davao Regional Tobacco Control Program manager, raised this call during the consultative meeting of the member agencies of the Regional Tobacco Control Network (RTCN) held at a local hotel in Davao City.
After reporting the alarming nationwide data showing an increase in tobacco users aged 15 and above, Basañes presented some recommendations to strengthen the anti-smoking measures that could be adopted in the region, like enacting ordinances to expand buffer zones for tobacco sales.
She also mentioned other measures, such as developing regulatory modules for distributors and sellers, prohibiting flavored products, banning single-stick cigarette sales, and restricting access through vending machines.
Basañes emphasized the importance of sharing successful programs and replicable practices among stakeholders to enhance the implementation of tobacco control policies, cessation initiatives, and public awareness campaigns.
She reiterated that the success of the Tobacco Control Network depends on strong interagency collaboration and active community participation to work on lowering smoking rates and safeguarding communities from the dangers of tobacco.
She presented the National Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategy 2030, which targets the reduction of non-communicable diseases linked to tobacco, heated tobacco, and vapor products.
DOH-Davao leads the RTCN in the region, which is composed of local government units (LGUs), national government agencies, and civil society organizations catering to health concerns. PIA DAVAO