Madagascar, an investment model for the fight against tobacco

A report published by the United Nations in Madagascar provides an overview of all the health and economic gains attributable to tobacco control. Since the ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005, Madagascar has continued to increase the number of measures to counter the spread of smoking in the country. Tobacco use claims an average of 8,300 lives per year in Madagascar!

Effective and beneficial measures in the fight against tobacco

The report entitled “The Investment Case for Tobacco Control in Madagascar” published by the United Nations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Madagascar, the WHO FCTC Secretariat, UNDP, WHO and RTI International, presents conclusions in support of an investment case for tobacco control in Madagascar. Highlighting that this investment would allow the large island to save more than 30,000 lives over 15 years, this report demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of tobacco control measures. These include:

• Establishment of a sectoral committee to combat tobacco
• Tax increases to make tobacco products less accessible
• Increase in smoke-free public spaces to combat passive smoking
• Implementation of neutral packaging to limit the promotion of tobacco products
• Strengthening information campaigns for the general public on the causes and consequences of tobacco

The effectiveness of these measures has already made it possible to reduce the prevalence of smoking among young people from 19.3% to 8.9% between 2008 and 2018.

Smoking, an economic and health issue

Tobacco use and cultivation cause deaths and non-communicable diseases that result in high costs to society such as health expenditures and productivity losses that reinforce socio-economic inequalities.

In Madagascar, diseases linked to tobacco consumption cost the Malagasy economy 491 billion Ariary per year, or 1.41 billion 300 thousand million ariary of the gross domestic product.

The implementation of all these measures would save 2,000 people each year, and save 1,200 billion Ariary by 2033.