Waziri wa Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii Dk. Hussein Mwinyi.
Na Ananilea Nkya
MKUTANO wa Kimataifa kujadili umuhimu wa nchi za Afrika Mashariki kuwa na sera ya kudhibiti ulevi unaanza Arusha kesho. Mkutano huo wa siku mbili utakaofanyika katika hoteli ya Naura Springs utahudhuriwa na watu 80 ambao kwa namna moja au nyingine kazi zao zinaguswa na madhara ya ulevi.
Mkutano huo wenye kauli mbiu “Ulevi ni matatizo chukua hatua sasa” utafunguliwa na Waziri wa Afya na Ustawi wa Jamii Dk. Hussein Mwinyi.
Balozi wa Sweden nchini Dk. Lennrth Hjelmaker atatoa mada kuu kuhusu madhara ya ulevi na jinsi ya kuwa na umuhimu wa kuwa na sera ya kudhibiti matumizi mabaya ya pombe. Ulevi una madhara makubwa kwa jamii ikiwa ni pamoja na kuchochea migogoro majumbani na kusababisha ajali zinazouwa watu wengi na kuacha wengine vilema.
Washiriki wa mkutano huo wanatoka nchi za Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, Sweden, Norway na Tanzania. Mada zitakazowasilishwa katika mkutano huo ni pamoja na zile zitakazojadili hatua zilizofikiwa na nchi za Afrika Mashariki katika kuweka sera ya kudhibiti vilevi.
Mwakilishi wa Malawi ambaye nchi yake imechukua hatua kutunga sera ya kudhibiti ulevi atawasilisha mada kuzungumzia fursa na changamoto zake. Siku ya pili mkutano huo utafanya warsha nne ambazo zitazungumzia mada mbalimbali zote zikilenga kuelimisha na kuhamasisha washiriki kuona umuhimu wa nchi za Afrika Mashariki kuwa na sera ya kudhibiti ulevi.
Mkutano huo umeandaliwa na Shirika la Kimataifa lisilokuwa la Kiserikali IOGT ambalo linahamasisha maendeleo kwa kushirikiana na mashirika mengine ya kijamii Afrika ya Mashariki. Mwakilishi wa Shirika la Afya Duniani hapa nchini Dk. Neema Kileo na mwakilishi IOGT katika ngazi ya kimataifa Kristina Sperkova watatoa ujumbe maalum kwenye mkutano huo.
Mkutano huo utafungwa rasmi na Katibu Mkuu wa Jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki, Balozi Dk. Richard Sezibera.
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Conferenze on Alcohol Policy in East Africa
THE 3rd International Conference on alcohol policy formulation in the East Africa region begins in Arusha tomorrow. The two-day conference to be held at Naura Springs Resort brings together 80 people from the region as well as Malawi, Sweden and Norway who have worthy of knowledge to share on the impact of irresponsible drinking and the role alcohol policy can play in reducing the negative impact of alcohol.
Tanzanian Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Hussein Mwinyi will officially open the conference with a theme “Alcohol is a problem act now” and Swedish ambassador to Tanzania Dr Lennrth Hjelmaker will deliver key message on alcohol abuse.
Irresponsible drinking has far reaching negative impact including gender based violence and accidents leading to deaths and serious injuries. Representative from Malawi will make a presentation to share the country’s experience in developing the national policy on alcohol so that the Eastern African countries which have not developed alcohol policy can learn from them.
The second day of the conference four parallel workshops will be held each with a different theme but all focusing on aspects of alcohol policy. The World Health Organization Country Representative Dr Neema Kileo and an official from IOGT International headquarters Kristina Sperkova will deliver special messages.
The event is organized by IOGT, an International non-governmental organization which promotes a lifestyle free of alcohol, in collaborative partnership with similar minded East African organizations. The EAC Secretary General Ambassador Dr Richard Sezibera is scheduled to close the conference. The countries of East Africa include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.