The governor general of Papua New Guinea officially launched "Action on Smoking and Health--Papua New Guinea" last month.
The governor-general of Papua New Guinea last month launched “Action on Smoking and Health—Papua New Guinea,” an organization aimed at combating the country’s rising rates of tobacco addiction. Speaking at a public ceremony at Pacific Adventist University near Port Moresby, Sir Silas Atopare declared his support for the objectives of the program and said he was proud to serve as chief patron for the new non-governmental organization.
The global tobacco epidemic is human-made and entirely preventable, said Atopare, who is a Seventh-day Adventist Church member. He emphasized the need for collaborative action in tackling this public health problem.
The Minister of Health, Tommy Tomscoll, said the new organization would work with the national Department of Health in its efforts to free Papua New Guineans from tobacco addiction. He thanked Colin Richardson, director of Adventist Health Ministries in PNG, for his efforts in establishing the anti-smoking initiative.
Richardson was instrumental in bringing together a coalition of churches and other non-governmental organizations to form the broad-based anti-tobacco group.
Richardson says he is “thankful to the Lord for His work” in bringing together the coalition. “There is a deplorable lack of knowledge of this drug,” he adds, “and youth across the country are taking up the habit in droves.” Health authorities in PNG estimate that up to 70 percent of the country’s adult and youth population is caught in the tobacco habit.
According to Richardson, it was important for this new organization to include a broad spectrum of community groups. “The Adventist Church has always been known for its anti-tobacco stand,” he says. “Now other churches are taking up the battle.”
In addition to the governor-general, the anti-smoking group has attracted a number of high-profile patrons, including member of parliament Lady Carol Kidu, Bishop Sir David Hand, retired Anglican Archbishop of PNG, and Stanley Nandex, World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion. All are strong supporters of a tobacco-free lifestyle, says Richardson.