Issued by Department of Health
2 September 2008
African countries have been called upon to curb the harmful use of alcohol; a practise which experts say poses a serious threat to the Region's health and development efforts.
This is a response to the report on "Actions to reduce the harmful use of alcohol" being discussed by 46 African Health Ministers of Health during the second day of the fifty-eighth session of the Regional Committee for Africa in Yaounde, in Cameroon today.
The Report states that in 2000 and 2002, estimates of total deaths in the Region due to harmful use of alcohol showed a significant burden of 2.1% and 2.2%, and globally the harmful use of alcohol was responsible for 4% of the burden of disease and 3.2% of all deaths. It also highlight increases in alcohol consumption and changes in drinking patterns among adolescents, as well as the narrowing gap between men and women drinkers.
Proposed response to curb the harmful consumption of alcohol in a 10-point action plan of the region include; regulating availability, restricting sale, regulating marketing, increasing taxes and prices, enacting, strengthening or enforcing drinking and driving laws, establishing and strengthening alcohol information and surveillance systems, increasing community action, strengthening health sector response, raising political commitment and building partnerships.
"Look at the impact of unrestrained marketing strategies, especially those targeting youth. As the document notes, government focus on the tax revenues. Mechanisms for regulating trade in alcohol almost never consider the health consequences," says the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.
As South Africa endorsed the proposed actions in the report by the Regional Director, one amendment was made. The amendment was in relation to the need to increase taxes and the prices of alcohol products and suggests that this revenue be used to create a special fund to fight alcohol consumption.
"We think that this is a dangerous route to take. We may soon be tempted to create special funds for each health programme, which will make planning and use of the funds difficult. Also it will strengthen vertical programming even as we commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Alma Ata," Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, noted.