CANCER ASSOCIATION OF
Mr Saazi Vuke
Committee Secretary
Parliament of RSA
Presentation to Parliament on the No Tobacco Bill
The Cancer Association of
South Africa (CANSA) hereby indicates our interest to make an oral presentation
to Health Portfolio Committee hearings on the Tobacco Products Control Amendments Bill.
Background to CANSA
The
Cancer Association of
Today
it runs education programmes; promotes healthy living and early detection;
funds ongoing research programmes; offers community-based services, including
the facilitation of patient care; operates a toll-free Information Service;
provides counseling; and mans day centres and interim homes.
These
services are provided to all cancer patients regardless of creed, affiliation
or social circumstance. Its programmes
extend countrywide and also target rural communities using the Primary Health
Care model that includes health policy, advocacy and lobbying.
CANSA role in Anti-tobacco legislation
CANSA has taken special
interest in anti-tobacco legislation as tobacco is the single most preventative
cause for several cancers including lung cancer, mouth, throat, bladder and
pancreas cancer and is a likely contributor to other cancers such as cervical,
colon, stomach cancers and also identified as
possible cause in others…It has been estimated that almost one cancer in
three is smoking related. (Kune 1999)
CANSA is a member of TAG
(Tobacco ACTION Group) that comprises of the National Council Against Smoking,
CANSA, The Heart Foundation, and the Department of Health). We work in collaboration
on health promotion to stop tobacco and prevent young people from taking up
this habit.
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CANSA has been actively
involved with other organizations and the Department of Health with giving
input and mobilizing civil society on the development of the first bill past by
parliament in tobacco control. Since then we have been involved in meetings
with the Department of Health in discussing successive inputs on amendments to
this Act.
CANSA role in health promotion
CANSA conducts programmes in
schools to educate students on the negative effects of tobacco use, and also
gives talks at various audiences to stops tobacco use as part of a package of
measures that promotes healthy living for reducing the risks of cancers and
other debilitating diseases cause by tobacco use and exposures to second
tobacco smoke. We also provide materials such as pamphlets and posters on the
effects of tobacco with recommendations on how to quit smoking to support our
health promotion.
Our submission
Our submission to the health
portfolio will comprise the following:
Thank you very much for your
consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon as to if and when we
could make an oral submission to the hearings.
Regards
Joel Perry
Head: Health Programmes
CANSA National Office