Health Ministry Launches Tobacco Control Data Initiative Dashboard

Ministry of Health in collaboration with Development Gateway has launched the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI) dashboard through the Division of Tobacco Control.

Speaking on Wednesday, Health Director General Patrick Amoth said that the policy makers in Kenya will now have a powerful tool at their disposal to drive evidence-based decision making and support efforts to reduce tobacco use and improve public health outcomes.

‘’The dashboard will provide policy makers with access to relevant data to advance tobacco control implementation in the country,’’ he said.

Amoth added that the launch of the dashboard in Nairobi will emphasize the need for data-driven decision making to tackle the country’s non-communicable disease crisis.

‘’Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive airways disease, diabetes, cancers, and renal diseases account for over 50 percent of hospital admissions and 39 percent of all deaths annually in Kenya,’’ Amoth said.

The Tobacco Control Data Initiative dashboard is part of a broader effort to combat the rising prevalence of tobacco use in Kenya, which is one of the leading preventable contributors to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive airways disease, diabetes, cancers, and renal diseases account for over 50 percent of hospital admissions and 39 percent of all deaths annually in Kenya.

Additionally, the TCDI dashboard is one of several country-specific platforms designed by Development Gateway in collaboration with the University of Cape Town’s Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP).

Other TCDI country dashboards already exist for South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dashboard is soon to be launched.

Source: Capital Fm