9/18/2017
Press Bulletin No. 127, 2017

- This is one of the actions established in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the world.

Bogotá, Colombia, September 18, 2017. As part of strategies for tobacco control in Colombia, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is progressing on training health personnel to strengthen the treatment for tobacco addiction in primary health care.

The workshop was part of the preparedness of the National Program for Smoking Cessation in Colombia, and was aimed at presenting how to provide help to consumers, in order to reduce premature mortality by noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, among others.

Promoting quitting smoking and addressing smoking are actions that countries such as Colombia, as a Party to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, must include in the health system to reduce the burden of disease and economic burden created by this risk factor. Likewise, these interventions must be implemented within the framework of the Pathways, as established by the Comprehensive Health Care Model (MIAS, in Spanish).

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Health Offices of Antioquia, Huila, Meta, Tolima and Nariño. In addition to the Benefit Plan Administrators (EAPB, in Spanish), and the Health Care Providers (IPS, in Spanish): Sanitas, Salud Total, Nueva EPS, Coomeva, Dirección General de Sanidad Militar, Dirección de Sanidad de la Policía Nacional, Coemssanar, Cruz Blanca, Colsánitas, IPS Indígena Mallamas, Hospital San Rafael del Espinal and the Healthcare Network of Bogotá such as Capital Salud, Subred Norte, Subred Sur and Subred Centro Oriente.

MPOWER Strategy

Providing assistance for quitting smoking is one of the actions that will implement the MPOWER strategy. It was established by the World Health Organization to aid in the implementation of the provisions of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

MPOWER is the acronym for the six most effective measures to fight against the tobacco epidemic and to protect the population: Monitor, Protect, Offer, Warn, Enforce, and Raise. These represent the following messages: Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, Protect people from tobacco smoke, Offer help to quit tobacco use, Warn about the dangers of tobacco, Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and Raise taxes on tobacco.