NATC holds symbolic funeral procession of cigarette

National Alliance for Tobacco Control (NATC) on Tuesday arranged a symbolic funeral procession of cigarette from Arts Council of Pakistan to Karachi Press Club to mark the World No Tobacco Day.

Seminars were organised in various hospitals of the metropolis to raise awareness about the hazards of tobacco, including the Aga Khan University (AKU) in collaboration with NATC, Pakistan Medical Association and Pakistan Chest Society.

Speaking in the seminars, health experts said Pakistan’s inclusion as a signatory in the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FTCT) demanded the country to implement laws for reducing tobacco related mortality and morbidity.

They urged that the government should take concrete steps and implement laws against tobacco usage. They said that the government should raise the tobacco price to curtail its use.

The speakers said that the smoke pollution from tobacco usage at public places such as hotels, cafes and restaurants is very high throughout the country. They applauded the recent resolution passed by the Sindh Assembly to ban Sheesha smoking at restaurants and public places.They said that the media could play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day of implementing the FTCT in its entirety.

Dr Javeed A Khan, Prof Department of Medicine at AKU said Rs 1.2 billion are wasted in tobacco consumption in the country and millions of rupees are spent on the treatment of disease developing due to tobacco usage.

Provincial Minister Shazia Marri strongly recommended the youth to avoid tobacco as it castes a bad impact on their personality and deteriorates their health. She said it is also the responsibly of people to refrain from tobacco as they lose their health and money after becoming an addict.

Chest Specialist AKU Dr Ali Zubhair said the growing epidemic of Sheesha, a lethal add-on at public cafes and restaurants is another cause of concern. According to a research conducted by the WHO, an average pipe smoking session of around an hour is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes.

He said smoking in developing countries like Pakistan is a part of a global epidemic that the WHO estimates has already killed a hundred million people during last 100 years and could kill 1 billion more during this century.