+ A
A -
THE State of Qatar is participating in the first meeting of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products with a delegation from the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation's Tobacco Control Center.
The Qatar delegation had participated also in the eighth session of the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), which concluded in Geneva on Saturday.
Communications officer on the FCTC Dr Kholoud al Mutawa, who is also Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases department in the Ministry of Public Health, reviewed the positive developments and achievements of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region in the area of tobacco control and the challenges faced by some states in controlling this practice.
She noted that five countries in the region have joined the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products during the current year, expressing the hope that more states will join the protocol in the coming period.
She highlighted that the region's countries are facing a major challenge in keeping tobacco control a top priority in the face of the other challenges they have to deal with, especially as a large group of countries are facing emergencies or are recovering from a previous emergency.
She maintained, however, that the ministries of health are pushing the tobacco control agenda forward. (QNA)
