The advert issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI and the National Tobacco Control Programme warns that the sale of tobacco products to youth below the age of 18 is a punishable offence.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Smoking banned in public places
This poster courtesy Dr.A.S.Pradeep Kumar, Additional Director of Health Services (Public Health), Directorate of Health Services, Kerala reads, "Let us not leave this legacy for the younger generation ... Smoking in public places is banned."
Dr.Pradeep Kumar is also the Convenor of the High Level Committee constituted for dealing with issues related to tobacco usage in Kerala.
Don’t be fooled by the shiny pouches
They are cheap and easily available. They come in small, colourful pouches often masquerading as harmless mouth fresheners. But neither fancy branding nor disingenuous claims can mask the fact that gutkha, khaini, pan masala and other forms of smokeless tobacco are among the deadliest consumer products in the market today.
For manufacturers of smokeless tobacco, the byword seems to be “hook ‘em young” which accounts for the appealing flavours, pricing, packaging and distribution networks that run close to schools and other educational institutions.Much has been said and written about the strong link between smokeless/chewing tobacco and cancer. Smokeless tobacco is one of the leading causes of oral cancer in India and is also associated with pancreatic cancer, high blood pressure, increased heart rate and reproductive problems.
But the reality is that despite growing awareness, India has among the highest rates of smokeless tobacco use in the world. More than a quarter of (25.9%) adults in India still consume smokeless tobacco, with over one-fifth (21.4%) using these products every day. In Kerala, 10.7% of adults, including 13.1% males and 8.5% females use smokeless tobacco products (GATS 2009-10).
More tobacco-using Indians (75%) consume it in the form of smokeless products such as gutka, khaini and tobacco-mixed betel quid than cigarettes or bidis. More than nine in 10 female tobacco users consume smokeless products.
Tobacco has been a major health concern worldwide for many decades now. There has been plenty of action at policy level to limit tobacco-related damage to public health and associated costs.
We have regulations such as COTPA, 2003 with a wide mandate, including ban on smoking in public places, prohibition on the sale of tobacco products to minors and near educational institutions and controls on advertisement of tobacco products.
As recently as August last year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification prohibiting the use of tobacco and nicotine as ingredients in any food product, effectively banning the manufacture of tobacco-containing gutka, pan masala and khaini.
But the sad fact is anti-tobacco laws get flouted, harmful tobacco products are readily available to young children near schools and thousands of new cases of oral cancer are reported every year. What we score at policy level, we lose at implementation!
It will need collective effort to stamp out tobacco in all its forms. We need to be as spirited at ensuring our regulations are followed as we are at framing them. Those bright shiny pouches shouldn’t be littering our streets or blighting young lives.
Monday, 20 February 2012
At what cost?
Fathom this! Research in India has shown that doctors diagnose at least 250,000 new tobacco-related cancers each year, or 960 every working day!!
There is also no dearth of validated information that tobacco smoking causes cancers of the lung, larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, paranasal sinuses, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, kidney, ureter, bladder, uterine cervix and bone marrow.Cancers are caused in tobacco users through the constant ingestion of carcinogens in their upper respiratory and digestive systems.
Smokers inhale carcinogens into their lungs with every puff. Some particles are lodged permanently or semi-permanently in the lungs, causing black “smoker’s lung”.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) has revealed that 34.6% of adults in India including 47.9% of males and 20.3% of females use tobacco of any form. Inspite of the lurking dangers, Indians continue to smoke and use tobacco.
But at what cost, will people stop to think?
Image courtesy: www.smokerslung.net
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Minister raises concern over tobacco use among women
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri.Sudip Bandyopadhyay, while inaugurating the 56th annual conference of Indian Public Health Association at Kochi on 10 February, raised concern over the use of tobacco products by women.
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| Varthamanam, 11 February 2012 |
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| Mathrubhumi, 11 February 2012 |
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| The New Indian Express, 11 February 2012 |
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
42 per cent cancers in Kerala tobacco-induced
Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum and a member of the Tobacco Free Kerala coalition organised a programme called 'Cancer Patients and their Family' on World Cancer Day, February 4.
In her introductory remarks, Additional Director of RCC Dr.P.Kusumakumari said that Kerala’s cancer rate can be reduced if appropriate lifestyle adjustments are made. “As much as 42 per cent of cancers in the State are tobacco-induced and are preventable. While incidence of oral cancers was earlier reported among people over 50 years, it is now seen in persons above 30 years owing to pan masala use. Restriction on tobacco and pan masala is critical,” she added.
Areas including ‘Cancer Prevention’, ‘Counselling and its importance in Cancer Care’, ‘Home Care for Cancer Patients’ and ‘Patient Support and Palliative Care’ were discussed. Surgical Oncologist, RCC, Dr.Paul Augustin; Retd.Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, Kerala University Dr.Krishnaprasad Sreedhar; and Chief Nursing Officer, RCC, Smt. Sreelekha handled the sessions.
Varied queries on cancer prevention, detection and medical advancements were raised by patients and family members in the hour-long open forum that followed the presentations. Medical Superintendent and Radiation Oncologist, RCC Dr.Ramdas.K; Medical Oncologist, RCC Dr.Sreejith Nair; Surgical Oncologist, RCC Dr.Shaji Thomas; Paediatric Oncologist and Addl.Director, RCC Dr.Kusumakumari; Dr.Krishnaprasad Sreedhar; Dr.P.T.Latha, Social Welfare Wing, RCC and Nursing Course Coordinator, RCC Smt.Beena Koshy were the panelists.
Around 200 cancer patients and their family members were present.
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| Chandrika, 6 February 2012 |
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| Deshabhimani, 6 February 2012 |
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| Janmabhumi, 6 February 2012 |
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| Janayugom, 6 February 2012 |
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| Mathrubhumi, 6 February 2012 |
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| Metro Vaartha, 6 February 2012 |
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| Veekshanam, 6 February 2012 |
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| The Hindu, 5 February 2012 |
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| Mathrubhumi, 3 February 2012 |
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| Mathrubhumi, 4 February 2012 |
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| The Hindu, 4 February 2012 |
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| The New Indian Express, 4 February 2012 |
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| Siraj, 4 February 2012 |
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| Deepika, 4 February 2012 |
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| Deshabhimani, 4 February 2012 |
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| Veekshanam, 4 February 2012 |
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| Janmabhumi, 4 February 2012 |
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Together, let us make it possible!
A worrisome 40,000 new cancer cases annually in God's Own Country's population of 31.8 million of people! More than 40 per cent of cancers in Kerala are due to the use of tobacco, both smoking and chewing. Lung cancer seen most commonly cancer among men of the State. Among women, around 90 per cent of lung cancers caused by tobacco including passive smoking.The World Health Organisation reports that cancer accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13 per cent of all deaths) in 2008. Tobacco use ranks significantly in the five leading behavioural and dietary risks that contribute to about 30 per cent of cancer deaths. Globally, tobacco use causes 22 per cent of global cancer deaths and 71 per cent of lung cancer deaths.
These are some facts and figures that hit us on our face as we mark World Cancer Day today, which is themed 'Together it is possible'. Let's imbibe the purport of this day and strive to fight smoking tobacco, beedis and use of pan masala, in whatever little way we can.
Together, let us make it possible!
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