By Alex Baah Boadi
Sefwi-Wiawso (WN/R), Dec. 27, GNA- The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in the Western North Region has held a day’s sensitization and training workshop for managers of entertainment centres on the compliance of the Tobacco Act L I 2247 and the public health act 851 (6).
The training, which was attended by owners of pubs, hotels, restaurants and chop bars, was to educate them on the need to make their facilities smoking free during and after the yuletide.
According to Mr Albert Ankomah, Regional Director of the Food and Drugs Authority, the public could become second hand smokers if they patronised such places where smoking was done openly.
He said the move was to ensure smoking free areas in public places to ensure the safety of the public.
He explained that his outfit had inspected a number of such facilities, including lorry stations and identified many of the places that had gaps as far as the smoking free areas were concerned.
He expressed worry about the number of facilities without the No smoking sign and increasing number of usages of Tobacco product like shisha in such facilities.
He entreated managers of the facilities to have a designated area for people who intended to smoke in order to help protect the health of second-hand smokers.
He reminded managers of sanctions with regards to facilities that did not ensure public health and advised them to help protect the health and safety of the general public in order to protect second-hand smokers from getting diseases.
The Regional Director cautioned that the appropriate State institutions would come unannounced to ensure compliance and prosecution of facilities that might fall foul of the directives.
Mr Michael Kpingbi, the Western North Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, pledged his outfit support to the Food and Drugs Authority to achieve its objective to ensuring no smoking in public for the health and safety of staff and patrons of the various hospitality facilities as well as the public.
He assured that the Tourism Authority would collaborate effectively with the FDA to ensure compliance with the tobacco smoking regulations by ensuring creation of smoking areas in bars, restaurants and event centres to display No smoking signs in all enclosed areas to guide smokers and to give hope for non-smokers.
He entreated the public to volunteer information on recalcitrant operators so that they could be brought to book as the effect of smoke from smokers on passive smokers was as dangerous as on smokers.
GNA