The Kenya Medical Association is a voluntary membership association of all doctors registered to practice in Kenya. It is mandated to Champion for the Welfare of Doctors and Quality Healthcare in Kenya.
On this World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), the Kenya Medical Association joins the World Health Organization and affiliate countries, the Ministry of Health Kenya, the Tobacco Control Board, Civil Society and other Global Tobacco Control Organizations in commemorating this year's WNTD.
We celebrate this year’s theme ‘We Need Food, Not Tobacco’ cognizant of the negative impact that tobacco growing and curing has on farmers through green tobacco sickness, exposure to carcinogenic chemicals and chronic lung conditions.
We further recognize, the negative impact tobacco growing has on the environment, its’ effect on food insecurity and the poor labor and business practices by tobacco the industry that make it difficult for tobacco farmers to make a profit or switch to alternative crops that are more profitable.
As Kenyans, we are proud to host this years' Global Celebrations in Migori and to have the farmers recognized for being the pioneers of the ‘Tobacco Free Farms’ initiative. This has seen at least 2000 farmers in the county transition from growing tobacco to high iron beans providing them with healthy, economically viable alternatives and impacting on the local supply of tobacco leaf.
Lastly, we appreciate the devastating role that tobacco products old and new, continue to play as the biggest modifiable risk for disease and responsible for the deaths of 6000 Kenyans annually. We shall continue to work with the Ministry of Health, the Tobacco Control Board and all other organizations to ensure full implementation of the Tobacco Control Act. We shall further play a very specific part in sensitizing the public on the harms of tobacco use and in ensuring that we champion for and provide access to tobacco cessation services wherever possible.
KMA PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE
31.05.2023
