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FCTC Art.19 expert Daniel Dorado, Corporate Accountability International Daniel Dorado a senior technical expert on WHO FCTC Article 19 delivering his intervention at the seventh Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization (7th COP to WHO FCTC) in India: 7th November 2016. Click here to listen or download this podcast in Spanish . Daniel is part of the Corporate Accountability International team onsite.  He spoke in Spanish. He hails from Columbia and lives in Ecuador. His work is also a living tribute to the invaluable legacy he holds close to his heart: he is the son of tireless human rights crusader and tobacco control leader Yul Francisco Dorado from Columbia. Yul was Latin America Director of Corporate Accountability International.

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS [ Read presentation of Prof Jeff Collin ] Governments of over 180 countries that have ratified the global tobacco treaty had met recently earlier this month and adopted and advanced strong measures to stop tobacco industry interference in health policy and also to hold tobacco industry liable.The meeting formally called the Seventh Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) concluded with commendable progress on WHO FCTC Articles 5.3 and 19 (liability). In this context, I find it pertinent to share some of the learnings from the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health that was held in Liverpool last month. Reality check on policy coherence Dr Jeff Collin , Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh, gave some interesting insights by exploring the dark nexus between industry and public health policies; and raised the issue of tackling conflict of interes...

With a week left for inter-governmental meeting of global tobacco treaty (formally called World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC), more than 120 civil society organisations from India and several other nations globally have endorsed a letter calling upon the governments (that are Parties to the WHO FCTC) to act against the tobacco industry interference in FCTC. We are reproducing this letter below: “ Dated: 1st November 2016 To The Parties to the WHO FCTC Cc: Dr. Vera Luiza Da Costa e Silva, Framework Convention Secretariat JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India Amal Pusp, Director of National Tobacco Control Programme Dear Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC): As civil society organizations concerned with public health, we write to express our concern over tobacco industry interference in the meetings of the WHO FCTC and its subsidiary bodies. In advance o...

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS The first press meet at the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health , being currently held in Liverpool, saw the Ministers of Health from Philippines, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe reflect on the successes and challenges of responding to the global epidemic of TB, tobacco related diseases and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Jose Luis Castro, Executive Director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) set the ball rolling by saying that although the latest estimates of the global TB burden were very disturbing (10.4 million new TB cases and 1.8 million TB deaths in 2015), all is not lost. There is still hope to reverse the tide as we know what is to be done - business cannot be as usual . WHO's endorsement of the 9-month short regimen for MDR-TB treatment is one such positive step in the direction of meeting the global goal of ending TB by 2030. Countries will now have to start the process for its roll-ou...

Francis Okoye, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria Tobacco industry all over the world, is bringing death through its interference in health policies. Panelists at a webinar, recently organised by Citizen News Service on tobacco industry interference in WHO framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) , said that tobacco industries have hijacked political and legislative processes, exaggerated the economic importance of tobacco industry, and manipulated public opinion to gain an appearance of respectability. It has been fabricating support through its various front groups (like the international tobacco growers Association ITGA), discrediting proven science and intimidating governments  with litigation or threat of litigation. Speaking on the matter Maitri Porecha , a noted journalist, said that tobacco industry interference is not new. We need to firewall health and development policies from the industry’s unrelenting onslaught . One thing is clear— public health is not on the tobacco in...

Alice Tembe, CNS Correspondent, Swaziland Cardio vascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the major chronic ailments that have strongly impacted today’s generation, along with other non communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, hypertension and diabetes. Notably, in over 80% of the cases, the diseases are lifestyle related. Small changes in lifestyle practices and choices could effectively minimize risk factors. CVDs include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, congenital heart disease and deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. As often, the low and medium income countries tend to carry a higher burden of CVD related deaths. This may not necessarily be due to very high incidence of CVDs in these countries, but also due to the weak health systems and weak economies that hinder general populaces from accessing regular medical check-up for early detection and failure to afford the medical care associated with them.  According to the Programme Development Manager at the W...

Aarti Dhar, CNS Correspondent, India [First published in theindiasaga.com ] With two malaria deaths and several patients being treated for the disease in its capital city New Delhi, India needs to do much more if it is to eliminate Malaria by the year 2030. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a goal of eliminating the disease from 35 countries across the world including from India and Indonesia. Just a couple of days ago, Sri Lanka became the third country in Asia to eliminate malaria.  If the WHO target is to be achieved, funding for malaria will have to be increased from the existing $ 2.5 billion to $ 8.7 billion. Though malaria cases have come down in India from 2 million to 1.12 million between 2000 and 2005, but the issue continues to be serious. 287 malaria deaths were reported from India last year. As much as 80% of these deaths were in the north and north-eastern part of the country. Target 3.3 of Goal 3, within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commits ...