Investing in tobacco control for better lives for all in Eswatini
Tobacco use causes undue burden to Eswatini’s economy and health system. As one of the leading risk-factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), tobacco use is responsible for needless loss of lives and high health expenditures. Approximately 6% of Swazi people above the age of 15 years use some form of tobacco with use by men (12%) greater than women (1%). A 2021 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) study, the “Investment Case for Tobacco Control in Eswatini”, concluded that tobacco use kills more than 600 Swazi annually, with 66% of these deaths among individuals under age 70. Nearly one quarter (24%) of lives lost from tobacco use are due to exposure to second-hand smoke.
Additionally, in 2017, tobacco use cost the economy SZL 684 million (roughly 46 million US dollars), equivalent to 1.1% of its gross domestic product. These annual costs include SZL 64 million (roughly 4.3 million US dollars) in healthcare expenditures and SZL 620 million (roughly 41.6 million US dollars) in lost productive capacities due to premature mortality and disability as well as workplace smoking breaks. Left unchecked, Eswatini will face continued economic, health and societal hardship attributable to tobacco use.
How did Eswatini do it, and how did the WHO Secretariat support Eswatini?
WHO collaborated with the Ministry of Health to ensure that funding was available to address issues related to tobacco control. The WHO Country Office in Eswatini assisted the country to apply for funding through the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2030 Project. Eswatini became one of the few countries globally to benefit from the FCTC 2030 Project. The FCTC 2030 Project is funded by generous support from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Australia, and the Government of Norway. Funding commenced in 2020 and contributes toward promoting implementation of the WHO FCTC as part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda.
WHO, through its convening power, brought together relevant government sectors, international development partners, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations, civil society organizations, communities, and individual stakeholders to join the renewed effort to make Eswatini smoke free.
WHO played a leadership role in conducting a tobacco control needs assessment in collaboration with the WHO FCTC Secretariat, United National Development Programme (UNDP), Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and local stakeholders. The findings were used to develop and publish the first-ever investment case for tobacco control in Eswatini.
WHO, together with the Government of Eswatini, widely disseminated the Investment Case for Tobacco Control report as an evidence-based advocacy tool for garnering support from stakeholders to reduce the demand for and supply of tobacco related products. With updated country-level data and 15-year projections on the gains that could be realized if Eswatini were to invest in tobacco control measures, the tool not only advocates for the protection of one’s own life but also for the lives of those around them. Reducing demand for tobacco products will improve life expectancy and result in fewer premature deaths for both smokers and non-smokers.
Eswatini, with technical support from WHO, has since established a multisectoral National Coordinating Mechanism (NCM) for tobacco control. The NCM facilitated development of the National Tobacco Control Policy, the National Tobacco Control Regulations, as well as a National Tobacco Control Action Plan, all of which address various elements of the demand for and the supply of tobacco products. Several awareness-raising campaigns on the dangers of tobacco use have been conducted, targeting school children as well as out-of-school youths. Municipalities have been engaged to create smoke-free towns and cities.
Most importantly, these efforts are contributing towards a 30% relative reduction in prevalence of current tobacco use in persons aged 15+ years and a 25% reduction in premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by 2030 in line with the Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Global Monitoring Framework. Investing in tobacco control will mitigate the health, social and economic impacts of tobacco use, protecting vulnerable second-hand smokers, which are in some instances children and pregnant mothers.
Investing in tobacco control saves lives.
Photo Credit: © WHO
Photo Caption: Ministry of Health Tobacco Control focal person Ms Zandile Dhlamini providing remarks during the launch of the investment case for tobacco control in Eswatini.