The South Asian Regional Consortium Centre for Combating Tobacco (SARC-CCT) was inaugurated in Colombo on Monday making Sri Lanka “a powerful force in combating the insidious campaigns of the tobacco industry locally, regionally and globally,” its Director said.
CCT Director Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya said this centre will be the tobacco observatory for the South Asia region. The CCT will engage in tobacco control and tobacco industry monitoring in the eight-member regional consortium – Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan. CCT is the Sri Lankan tobacco observatory hosted by the Colombo University’s Faculty of Medicine, and is engaged in monitoring the tobacco industry’s activities related to the implementation of Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
“Through our investigative research into industry activities, we have learned that tobacco industry interference in public health policies and control actions is a huge challenge not only for Sri Lanka, but also for South Asian countries. That is why CCT has taken a revolutionary step to expand the tobacco industry observatory to incorporate all South Asia countries, Dr. Rajasuriya said.
Tobacco is the only legally available consumer product which kills people when used entirely as intended. The tobacco industry is a global entity. The industry is known for its interference and influence of the public and governments. It also includes a wide range of supporting consultancies specialising in such areas as marketing, legal services and lobbying. They need to make sure that people smoke more to ensure their sustenance as a profit-making venture. They use many tactics to attract users, especially children and the youth. Individual countries find if difficult to know how to respond to an industry that sells a product which is highly addictive and hazardous to the health,” he added.
Colombo University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chandrika Wijeratne said that the University is keen to provide maximum support to combat tobacco use in Sri Lanka. This move is very important in protecting the present and future generations from the destructive health, social and economic consequences of tobacco use.
National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Sri Lanka Chairman Dr. Palitha Abeykoon also highlighted the importance of having a regional tobacco observatory on tobacco control in the local, regional and global contexts.
Colombo University’s Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Jennifer Perera said the expansion of the tobacco epidemic increased due to factors beyond the control of a single country, such as trade liberalisation, foreign direct investments, global marketing, transnational tobacco advertising and promotion.
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