The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) with the support of the World Health Organization has launched the first ever national cessation guidelines for tobacco dependence. It is also on record that the Gambia is the first country in the African Region to launch national cessation guidelines for tobacco dependence, says Dr. Ahmed E.A. Ouma, TOB/AFRO, in a brief statement during the launch.

In addition to supporting the capacity building processes that went into the development of this blueprint , WHO also provided 200 copies of the guidelines to the health authorities to sup-port step-down training of health care workers.

Receiving the items on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Health, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Social, Mrs. Saffie Lowe-Ceesay, lauded the excellent collabo-ration between her Ministry and the WHO as well as the immense support WHO is rendering to the overall health sector development but more so in the area of non-communicable dis-eases (NCDs) prevention and control. She cited tobacco control as one of the key areas in which the Gambia has made significant progress thanks to the support of the World Health Organization.

Speaking on behalf of the WHO Representative, NPO/HPR, also thanked the health authorities for giving priority to NCDs by creating a multi-sectoral platform to address their main risk factors including tobacco use. He said that the WHO will continue to support this platform as well as other initiatives for NCD prevention and control.

Thirty participants, drawn from health, media and other sectors, attended the launch which was followed by an orientation work-shop for thirty senior policy makers responsible for the implementation of the guidelines.

Following the launch and orientation, it is agreed that the WHO will provide further support to the MoHSW in conducting step-down training for frontline health care workers on the implementation of the guidelines.

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For more information, please contact: 

Mr. Momodou Gassama, Health Promotion Officer,  gassamam [at] who.int (gassamam[at]who[dot]int)—(+220)- 4462286

Mr. George. Williams, Health Information Assistant,    williamsg [at] who.int (williamsg[at]who[dot]int)—(+220) 4462284