Disruption to tobacco prevention project: PHIs demand inquiry against DDG

By Ifham Nizam

The Public Health Inspectors’ Union of Sri Lanka has demanded an inquiry against Deputy Director General (Public Health Services) Dr. S. M. Arnold with regard to intentional disruption of tobacco cessation and prevention activities conducted by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA).

Public Health Inspectors’ Union President Upul Rohana, writing to the Secretary to the Ministry of Health on 06 June 2022, with the letter reference number PHIU/GEN/PRE/2022/34, asked for the inquiry allegedly on the grounds that Deputy Director General (Public Health Services) had not permitted Public Health Inspector T. G. S. L. Prakash, to contribute his expertise to a project conducted by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol to establish 362 smoke free zones in Sri Lanka with the support of the World Health Organization.

Prakash is working as a Public Health Inspector at the Principal Public Health Inspectors’ Unit, under the supervision of Deputy Director General (Public Health Services) at the Ministry of Health and doubles as a resource person for National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohols’ projects on tobacco cessation in Sri Lanka since 2015.

The PHIs Union claims that Mr. Prakash has done several studies on establishing smoke free zones in Sri Lanka and innovated a 10-step process for establishing smoke free zones here. The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) promotes smoke-free cities as an effective tobacco control strategy to ensure protection of the public from secondhand smoking.

From 2015 to November 2019, there were 253 smoke free zones established in 102 Medical Officer of Health divisions in 20 districts of the nine provinces. The pandemic took its toll on the project.

Therefore, NATA attempted to re-establish smoke free zones in the country. However, the Public Health Inspectors’ union of Sri Lanka claimed that Dr. Arnold, Deputy Director General (Public Health Services) intentionally disrupted these tobacco cessation and prevention activities; therefore, need an inquiry and preventive measures.

Dr. Arnold was not immediately available for comment.