Stakeholders in the health sector have been called upon to embrace pragmatic strategies to reduce the negative effects of tobacco among Kenyans.
Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) specialists said there’s need for the entrenchment of science-based regulation to enable smokers transition from the more harmful traditional cigarettes to the less-riskier alternatives, which will help them to quit smoking.
"We urge stakeholders in the health sector in Kenya to consider this approach towards reducing the harm caused by tobacco to users and those around them,” Harm Reduction Society of Kenya Secretary General, Dr Michael Kariuki, said.
The specialists were speaking during the inaugural Harm Reduction Society of Kenya workshop at a Nairobi hotel.
They said the approach would help lower incidents of tobacco-related illnesses and deaths in the country.
“We want to come up with pragmatic strategies that can be used to reduce tobacco harm on consumers and those around them through the use scientifically known methods that reduce harm and target the smoker so that they can be assisted to quit smoking," Dr Kariuki remarked.
Data from the Ministry of Health indicates that Kenya has about 2.3 million tobacco users - aged between 15 and 65 - as per the National Survey on the Status of Tobacco Use in Kenya.
The statistics indicate that more than 8,000 people die of tobacco-related ailments in Kenya, with tobacco use being singled out as the leading cause of preventable deaths in the country.
To reverse the trend, the THR specialists in particular called for the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act to accommodate new products that carry reduced risk compared to cigarettes.
They argued that the application of the new products in other countries has proven useful in helping smokers quit.
Dr Kariuki commended the Tobacco Control Board and the Ministry of Health for initiating the discussion regarding regulation and amendment of the Tobacco Control Act.
"It is critical that these regulations are brought on board with further engagement done to ensure that we have proper legislation that is based on science,” he said.
“The purpose of this regulation is to ensure that the young and the children are protected from these products whilst recognising that some of these products have a safer safety profile as compared to traditional cigarettes."
The specialists said the alternative products to traditional cigarettes have been used in countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden to assist smokers quit.
They singled out Sweden as a model example where Tobacco Harm Reduction has been successfully rolled out and helped reduce the number of smokers and subsequently helpe reduce tobacco-related deaths.
“The idea is obviously not a copy-pasted approach, but that countries can look to Sweden and adopt the concept of harm reduction but tailor-make them to their countries," said Dr Suely Castro, Director Quit Like Sweden.
Quit Like Sweden is a platform for people who want to make alternatives to smoking available to all adults seeking to quit smoking.
Dr Suely Castro said the reason the Swedish model has been so successful is because they have a variety of options tailored to different tastes and needs.
"Giving people alternatives to highly addictive and toxic traditional cigarettes is all about making options available and accessible,” she said.