By Mustapha Ezekiel Dumbuya
FoRUT, SLAPA in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation MOHs has launched the National Alcohol Policy at the Miata Conference Hall Car Park, Youyi Building. Freetown.
During the event the Executive Director for FORUIT said that her institution has vowed to support communities to reduce poverty social exposition and inequality, gender equality and women empowerment child right, livelihood and alcohol drugs and development.
According to her, FoRUT started its work with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation after they held their press conference on Alcohol control in 2015 and that’s where they also launched the Alliance alcohol policy as well.
The Executive Director continued that it has been a long journey and as for such tremendous interventions, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation did recognize such work.
She added that FoRUT has been using funds from the West Africa Alliance Alcohol Policy to support consultations as they had consulted nationally as there were representatives from the Civil Society organizations (CSOs), Community stake holders, the media and many more.
The Director also told participants to remember that they are doing this initiative in line with the global context as the Policy is been formed by the Global Strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol which was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2012.
“Strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability, advance and enforce drink driving counter measures, enforce either complete ban or regulate ban for marketing sponsorship and promotions of alcohol products are some of the areas that should be focus to map the road in reducing or controlling alcohol as key”, she advised.
Mrs. Jalloh expressed that in 2022 WHO has launched the Global Action Plan for alcohol control that is expected to last from 2022-2023 as that policy has given them the opportunity as a country to fully implement strategies to control alcohol such as the production, sales, marketing and consumption of alcohol.
She also stated that FoRUT has been using children as a center for controlling alcohol and the implementation will help to provide a safe enable environment to children where alcohol will not be a hindered to the development of their full potential, grow up and be productive citizens to contribute to the welfare of Sierra Leone and it development.
The Deputy medical chief officer at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Dr. Mustapha Kabba said that alcohol had so many harmful effects that led to medical, social and psychological implication and some of those implications may also lead to disease, mental health and social disorder to human being.
According to him it is very important for a country to have a policy that will tackle such grave implications by providing guide lines to regulate such problems which had been affecting the people of Sierra Leone.
“Having a policy of distributions, safe kipping age limit and awarding of licenses and by implementing this policy MOHs will making sure that they work fully with development partners to carry out this processes”, he explained.
He thanked the Executive Director of FoRUT and other development partners for taking the lead of making sure that the initiative comes to reality.
