– no reason to justify why the legislation hasn’t been tabled in ParliamentThe Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Advisor on Tobacco Control, Dr. Adrianna Blanco, says there is no reason to justify why the long-delayed tobacco control legislation has not been tabled in Parliament.Blanco stated that the passing of the legislation should be top priority for Guyana. She explained that although tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke are totally preventable, tobacco is killing over six million people per year.“I think for any country in the Caribbean it should be a priority, specifically where the country does not have a high prevalence…for example Guyana.“You shouldn’t wait until your country has 30% prevalence to do something,” she said. There are many proven preventive measures that can help curb the swelling epidemic,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, and it could all be administered with little to no cost for the government.“So it’s really a win-win situation: where the health of your people is protected and the fact that it doesn’t take money from the health system. Personally, I don’t see why they shouldn’t approve the legislation in your parliament,” she stated.Each year, tobacco kills six million people: 5.4 million active smokers and 600,000 non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. It is the single legal consumer product that kills up to half of its users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer and costing the global economy an estimated US$200 billion each year.A PAHO/WHO report indicated 71% of men consume tobacco while only 3.6% women are users in Guyana. This is a typical profile of tobacco consumption since men usually consume more than women at the beginning.Blanco added that the Caribbean countries are becoming more like European countries,Wholesale NBA Jerseys, in that the level of intake is almost similar. “This is something that if you don’t take care of it, it will get worst,” she opined.Currently, more than one in five students use a form of tobacco, with 9.5 % of students smoking cigarettes and 14.8 % using some other form of tobacco. This was revealed in the Guyana Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) for 2010. It stated that 11.4 % of Guyanese youths, who were non-smokers, were likely to initiate smoking by the next year.Blanco also stated that banning children from buying cigarettes send a counter-message about tobacco consumption. “It’s saying that it’s okay for adults but wrong for children so gives the impression that they should wait until they are legal to buy,” she explained.“It is not very good. So even though you need to put a limit for the age of buying cigarettes one should remember that it is still a part of a comprehensive approach and there are many measures that can be used,” she added, noting that Guyana’s tobacco bill is very comprehensive.“The bill that you have in Guyana in a very good one; if it is passed as it is it will be one of the most advanced legislation in the region,” she posited.The Tobacco Control Bill fulfils requirements laid out in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Guyana consented in 2005.The legislation is intended to protect present and future generations from the “devastating harms” of tobacco use, exposure to tobacco smoke and specifically to prevent tobacco use among youths. The legislation would also seek to ensure that the public is protected from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry, while preventing the illicit trade in tobacco products.Tobacco advertisement is also another issue that Blanco said the government needs to clamp down on. “The tobacco industry doesn’t sell cigarette; it sells happiness, having friends and you looking cool… That’s why you see so many teens smoking,Wholesale Jerseys USA,” she explained. The legislation would ensure that there are strict regulations concerning the advertisement of tobacco.She said that the government needs to increase taxes on tobacco. Charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) researchers have indicated that tripling tobacco tax globally would cut smoking by a third, and avoid 200 million premature deaths from lung cancer and other diseases, this century.The researchers stated that increasing taxes by a large amount per cigarette would motivate people to quit smoking altogether rather than switch to a cheaper brand.At present, cigarettes are so easily accessible they are sold singly—the price going as low as $40.“There is a need to increase taxes on tobacco. It makes tobacco more expensive and less accessible for children while providing revenue for the country,” she indicated, highlighting that only one country has reached the level of tax increase that is recommended by WHO, which is that the taxes represent 75% of the retail price of the cigarette.When questioned

Under the Ministry of Public Works, seven bids were opened yesterday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance, Main Street, for emergency embankment works at Stanleytown, East Bank Berbice, Region Six.With an engineer’s estimate of $12,340,000 the bids were as follows:???????? Bidder?? Amount Memorex Enterprise$21,660,000A&S General Contracting? $7,450,000M&B Construction? $5,400,000Khans Construction & Transportation Services$10,980,000K.P. Jagdeo General Construction$10,650,000K.B&B Contracting$14,800,000Fyuse Hussein$12,450,000The Ministry of Home Affairs received seven bids for the Citizens Security Programme -“Supply and delivery of thin client computers and accessories.”The bids:???????? Bidder?? Amount N.T Computeac?$5,845,484Giftland Office Max?$5,967,500Auto Supplies/Haier Guyana?$5,030,680CCS Guyana Ltd?$6,235,216Fix-It Hardware?$7,China Jerseys Wholesale,812,000Under the Ministry of Home Affairs, bids were also submitted for the procurement of works – renovation of Barker and Patterson Dorm, Sibley Hall Prison,Wholesale China Jerseys, Mazaruni, Region Seven – Guyana Prison Service.With an engineer’s estimate of $3,327,500 the bids were:? ??????Bidder?? Amount Dukhchand Trading?$2,650,NFL Jerseys Supply,250Joseph’s Construction?$2,736,000Lansdale Chapman?$2,785,China Jerseys Cheap,970Pacific Service Systems?$2,720,000Ash Civil Engineering Works?$2,673,000S. Maraj Contracting Services?$2,920,000Still in the security sector, there were another six bids for the procurement of works – renovation of the kitchen, Sibley Hall Prison, Mazaruni, Region Seven – Guyana Prison Service.??????? Bidder ?? Amount Dukchand Trading?$2,691,160Satrohan Maraj Contracting Service?$3,Cheap NFL Jerseys,168,280Joseph Allen Construction?$2,895,430Ash Civil Engineering Works?$2,659,450C&I Construction Company?$3,465,171Pacific Service System?$3,183,630Meanwhile, in the Education sector, four bids were submitted for rehabilitation works at President’s College. The engineer’s estimate was $6,859,670 and the bids:???????? Bidder?? Amount Metric Short Construction?$7,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping,734,500Romano Builders & General Contractors?$9,926,300O’Brien Electrical & Construction Agency?$7,470,250Andrew Howard Construction Services?$9,710,900Four bids were also submitted under the Ministry of Housing and Water for the Community Road Improvement Programme (CRIP) – Supply of computer equipment and accessories.???????? Bidder??? Amount Giftland Office Max ???????????????????????????????Lots 1&2?$7,362,000CCS Guyana Ltd ?????????????????????????????????????Lot 1?$3,946,712NT Computeac???????????????????????????????????????? Lot 1?$7,160,285Digital Technology ?????????????????????????????????Lots1,2&3?$6,509,376Bids were also opened at the NPTAB for the provision of security services at the Zoological Park under the National Parks Commission. The bids:?????? BidderAmount R.K Guyana Security?$10,608,480Strategic Action Security Services?$10,280,000