Editorial,

Yet again, the Department of Health and Social Welfare has demonstrated its strong commitment to promoting public health. The recent move by the department to bar public smoking is a significant step towards reducing tobacco-related diseases and untimely deaths. Tobacco has no utility apart from the destruction of health. Moreover, tobacco smokers do not only damage their own health, but they also put those beside them, known as second smokers, at risk of serious health complications.

The curtailing of public smoking is a significant step in permitting the vast majority of our people, particularly women and children, to breathe  healthy air for a healthy life. Those who insist on consuming this deadly substance should not put the health of others who do not in danger.

The country is a youthful country; attempts to discourage the consumption of tobacco substances is in the best interest of sustainable development. This is because it is only a healthy populace that can produce meaningful socio-economic transformation. The consumption of substances like tobacco deny people the right to health and hence the right to development. The move by the Department of Health to bar public smoking is therefore more than welcomed.

The challenge now lies in the hands of the people. Adhering to the dictates of the  department is in our best interest as it will promote standards of good living and defiance will only result to the continuation of our numerous health problems.   

More importantly, the actions of the department has shown us that they are discouraging smoking in general. The people, particularly the youths, should therefore endeavor to take advantage of this ban on public smoking and distance themselves from smoking as  a whole.  It is a collective responsibilty to promote and build a better and healthier  Gambia.