Report and recommendations of the TCRC tobacco control workshop at the EFMA plenary

Thursday 16 March 2000 - Forum Hotel, Warsaw, Poland

Appendices

1. Press release
2. List of participants
3. Programme
4. Suggestions received for action by the TCRC
5. Group Photograph

Appendix 1 - Press Release

Embargoed until 10.00h GMT: Thursday 16 March 2000 Europe's tobacco death toll: 137 white candles greet European doctors at Polish tobacco control workshop.

Each year in Poland, 82,000 people die from smoking. That's more than 9 people every hour and 224 people every day. Across Europe, the death toll for tobacco climbs to 137 people every hour - a staggering 3287 people daily.

Tobacco is the single biggest killer in Europe. Every year in the European region, cigarettes are responsible for 1.2 million deaths each year - one in six of all deaths. The World Health Organisation has identified tobacco as a major threat to health. Unless urgent action is taken, tobacco products will kill 2 million Europeans annually by the year 2020.

Today (Thursday 16 March) doctors from 51 European countries attending the tobacco control workshop at the meeting of the European Forum of Medical Associations/WHO Regular meetings between the national medical associations of the WHO European Region and the European Regional Office of WHO have taken place since 1984. These culminated in the formal establishment of a permanent forum with the World Health Organisation in 1991. EFMA's aims are to improve the quality of health and health care in Europe, exchange information, integrate appropriate aspects of WHO Health for All policies into basic medical education and to formulate consensus policy statements on health issues. Its members comprise 60 national medical associations from 51 European countries. will be greeted by the sight of 137 white candles, lit in memory of those who die every hour in Europe and Poland from smoking.

Dr Alan Rowe, Secretary of EFMA said: 'Every hour, tobacco snuffs out 137 lives across Europe. In taking further positive actions on tobacco, medical associations contribute to a healthier Europe'.
Sir Alexander Macara, chair of the workshop, said: 'These candles represent lives stubbed out by cigarettes. Let us light the way to a brighter, healthier future without tobacco.'

Every day, Europe's doctors come face to face with the misery and suffering caused by tobacco. This event draws on the experience of physicians from across the entire European region. The workshop will see the launch of a new action manual commissioned especially for European doctors and medical associations by the Tobacco Control Resource Centre and published by the British Medical Association Doctors and Tobacco: Medicine's Big Challenge is published by the Tobacco Control Resource Centre at the British Medical Association, in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Doctors and Tobacco: Medicine's Big Challenge will be presented by the author, David Simpson, a distinguished international expert on tobacco.

Welcoming the publication, Dr Marc Danzon, Director of WHO in Europe said: 'Doctors are a powerful ally in the fight against tobacco. WHO will continue its excellent partnership with national medical associations to counteract the tobacco industry's war on public health'.

Dr Witold Zatónski, Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for a Tobacco-Free Europe at the Maria Slodowska-Curie Cancer Centre said: 'In new European democracies, health is one of the biggest challenges. The tobacco epidemic is at its highest ever level, especially among men. Poland warmly welcomes this initiative by the European Forum of Medical Associations and the TCRC.'

For further information, please contact:
Ms Gwiazdowicz, Naczelna Izba Lekarska, Warsaw Tel: 646 5130/1 or BMA Public Affairs, British Medical Association, London (+44) (0)207 383 6254

Dr Sinéad Jones or Mr Lucien Rivière, The Tobacco Control Resource Centre, from 16-20 March at the Forum Hotel, Warszawa. Telephone: 621 0271/629 9999; from 21 March: Telephone: (+ 44) 207 6380/6754; Fax (+ 44) 207 383 6233; Email: tcrc@bma.org.uk

1. The Tobacco Control Resource Centre (TCRC) works in partnership with national medical associations across Europe, supporting them in their efforts to help patients, educate their members and inform public policy with respect to tobacco. The TCRC is a collaboration of the European Forum of Medical Associations and the World Health Organisation, and is based at the British Medical Association in London.

2. The workshop is organised by the Tobacco Control Resource Centre and runs from 14.00hrs to 17.00hrs on Thursday March 16.

Supporting statements:
The WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Marc Danzon welcomed the publication Doctors and Tobacco: Medicine's Great Challenge. He said: 'Doctors are a powerful ally in the fight against tobacco. Their continued support is crucial if we are to reduce smoking related deaths. In 1999, tobacco killed 4 million people worldwide. Without concerted action, deaths related to smoking are predicted to increase to a staggering 10 million per year by 2030. WHO is working very hard through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to ensure that tobacco will not destroy so many lives unnecessarily. The Convention is an umbrella for concerted action, and a pioneering initiative in public health terms. Its success will depend on the support of many sectors, not least the health sector. WHO will continue its excellent partnership with national medical associations to counteract the tobacco industry's war on public health.'

Dr Witold Zatónski, Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for a Tobacco-Free Europe at the Maria Slodowska-Curie Cancer Centre in Warsaw said: 'In Poland, as in other new European democracies, health is one of the biggest challenges. The tobacco epidemic is at its highest ever level, especially among men. The vast majority of the tens of millions of Eastern European smokers wish to stop. It is crucial that medical doctors recognise their obligation to help their patients to stop smoking. Poland, which has among the most progressive tobacco control legislation in the world, warmly welcomes this initiative by the European Forum of Medical Associations and the TCRC.'

Dr Alan Rowe, Secretary of EFMA said: 'Every hour, tobacco snuffs out 137 lives across Europe. In taking further positive actions on tobacco, European Medical associations contribute to a healthier Europe by making a important contribution to reduce this major cause of disease, with its accompanying suffering and reduction of life expectancy.'

Sir Alexander Macara, Chair of the TCRC workshop said: 'En ce qui concerne le tabac, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle. The suffering caused by the tobacco industry and the hypocrisy of governments in failing to protect young people can no longer be tolerated. Doctors must be the shock troops, fighting for their patients' rights to save their patients' lives.'

ENDS

Appendix 2. List of participants

Appendix 3. Programme

TCRC tobacco control workshop at the EFMA plenary
Thursday 16 March 2000 - Forum Hotel, Warsaw, Poland

Chaired by Sir Alexander Macara, Chairman, EFMA Tobacco Advisory Group

Appendix 4. Suggestions received for action by the TCRC

• Continuing support for design, implementation and analysis of standardised surveys of tobacco use among doctors.

• TCRC workshop at the EFMA forum to become an annual event.

• Further (one-day) TCRC workshops, held in collaboration with local partners and including representatives and/or members from more than one national medical association. The TCRC will approach delegates to discuss options for possible venues and programmes.

• Development of slide shows and presentation materials for use at medical meetings and for medical schools.

• To educate and encourage national medical associations and doctors to accept their roles and responsibilities in smoking cessation and treatment of tobacco dependency, and to advocate the implementation of the WHO evidence-based guidelines on treatment of tobacco dependence.

• Supply of evidence-based information including material on the risks of tobacco, the economic consequences of tobacco use, taxation as a tobacco control strategy, and the effectiveness of programmes aimed at preventing young people from smoking.

• Collaboration in translation of existing TCRC resources into additional languages.

• TCRC coordinated campaigns for action at the EU and international level, in support of both new regulation and the harmonization of legislation in EU accession states, as well as support for the international framework convention on tobacco control.

Appendix 5. Group Photograph

Participants in the TCRC Tobacco Control Workshop at the EFMA plenary

16 March 2000, Forum Hotel, Warsaw, Poland

Pictured from left to right:

Back row: Dr Ivan Bakran (Croatia), David Simpson (UK), Dr Dorota Gorecka (Poland), Lucien Rivière (TCRC), Dr Erzsebet Podmaniczky (Hungary), Dr Claudio Cricelli (Italy), Dr Youry Marakhovski (Belarus), Dr Fenton Howell (Ireland)

Front row: Dr Gjerjgi Minga (Albania), Dr Sinéad Jones (TCRC), Sir Alexander Macara (UK), Dr Mome Spasovski (Macedonia), Dr Anders Milton (Sweden), Dr Klas Winell (Finland)

Participating, but not pictured: Dr Aizhan Sadykova (Kazakhstan), Dr Jacek Piatkiewicz (Poland), Dr Witold Zatonski (Poland), Dr Yuriy Gordon (Ukraine), Dr Alan Rowe (UK)