By Ngozi Nwoke
Experts in the health sector have been challenged to consider harm reduction as a key guide in driving public health strategies in Africa.
Harm reduction refers to interventions at reducing the negative effects of health behaviours without necessarily extinguishing the problematic health behaviours entirely or permanently.
Speaking during the third annual Harm Reduction Exchange themed: ‘Amplifying the voice of Harm Reduction advocacy across Africa’, African Medical Association President and the Association of Medical Councils of Africa Dr Kgosi Letlape challenged African governments to adopt harm reduction approaches when regulating public health challenges:
“Harm reduction is a more transformative strategy than prohibition-based policies and is better than simply advocating for complete abstinence. It is a better approach to reducing tobacco-related death and disease.
“It is a practical and transformative approach that incorporates community-driven public health strategies including prevention, risk reduction, and health promotion to empower people who use drugs and their families with the choice to live healthy and self-directed.
“We hope that our lobbying efforts will spark renewed conversations on tobacco harm reduction among all stakeholders, including regulators and policymakers, which could lead to effective regulation and access to noncombustible product alternatives for adult smokers who are unable or uninterested in quitting.”
Integra Africa Principal, Dr. Tendai Mhizha, said: “The media play a critical role in accelerating the progress towards full uptake of harm reduction strategies in all spheres of health across the continent.
“With the advent of technology, we find that misinformation and disinformation are becoming increasingly prevalent with the democratization of the information space.
“There is a need to ensure that stakeholders are well informed with current and relevant information about the science, the changes that occur and how we can advance towards a smoke-free world.”