Interference index launched

A health advocacy group in the Philippines is pushing for stronger tobacco control policies, according to a story by The Philippine News Agency.
“As signatory to the [World Health Organization’s] Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have to have policies on tobacco control, but there are attempts or strategies that the tobacco industry uses to delay the passage of policies or rush them to avoid proper deliberation,” the MD of Health Justice Philippines (HJP) Jak Sarita was quoted as saying.
The HJP, which was described as an advocacy group with legal expertise in tobacco control and public health promotion, on Friday launched the Tobacco Industry Interference Index Philippine Report 2018.
The report was said to have revealed how tobacco companies were able to participate in and exert influence on public health policy development and implementation.
And it was said to have shown that stricter policies than those already imposed had to be passed. These included the imposition of higher taxes on tobacco, a ban on tobacco advertisements, and the removal of tobacco-industry influence from policy implementation.
The report recommended that the government provided information about its meetings and interactions with the tobacco industry.
Sarita said the report could teach stakeholders how to counter the tobacco industry’s interference while creating a well-informed public who could actively participate in campaigns on tobacco control and public health promotion.