Senior custodians of health across the state have heaped praises on Kerala Police for their role in preventive health by tightening enforcement of the tobacco control law COTPA, 2003 that is aimed at protecting public from the many harms of tobacco use. COTPA violations check by Kerala Police for the May-July 2014 quarter has gone up by 64 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Dr. Ramdas Pisharody, Principal, Trivandrum Medical College, congratulating the Trivandrum City Police for making the college area smoke-free said, “This concerted effort by the police force to safeguard the lives of thousands who visit the hospital every day by enforcing COTPA is very laudable. Owing to high literacy levels and penetration of mass media in Kerala, awareness that smoking and tobacco use is harmful to health is very high among our people. Yet, people continue to smoke away causing harm not only to their health but also of others. Tough enforcement of laws together with counselling by doctors is the need of the hour to arrest the preventable damage to public health from tobacco use.”
The Trivandrum City Police, as a part of the collective exercise led by the District Administration to make the district model COTPA compliant, recently declared the Medical College police circle smoke free.
Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts are also in the fray to become model COTPA compliant. Multi-stakeholder efforts in these two districts are led by the District Collectors with active support from the police and other enforcement agencies.
According to Dr. VP Gangadharan, pioneer medical oncologist and HoD of Medical and Paediatric Oncology, Lakeshore Hospital, Kochi, tobacco induced oral cancers is on the rise in Kerala. “Youngsters are increasingly developing an affinity for tobacco products, which are a definitive causative factor for mouth and throat cancers.”
Complimenting the Kerala Police for their action to curb tobacco use through noble endeavours such as model COTPA compliant districts, he said, “All sections of the society should support the police and other enforcement officials to ensure that no sale of tobacco products happen around any educational institution in Kerala, from primary schools to institutions of higher education.”
Section 6 (b) of COTPA prohibits the sale of tobacco products around 100 yards (91.4 metres) of any educational institution.
Dr MN Krishnan, Prof and Head, Department of Cardiology, Government Medical College, Kozhikode feels that by working to control tobacco use through enforcing the law, police are not just helping to save lives but supporting the state’s economy as well.
“The economic burden to Kerala from tobacco use is very high; a study for the year 2011 found it is the highest for cardiovascular diseases at Rs 226 crores. This is precious resources going down the drain. Police, by acting against tobacco use, are doing a productive service not just to public health but also to our economy’s health.”
He added that the fine amount collected by the police and other enforcement agencies should be pumped in for tobacco control measures.
From 16,363 challans for COTPA violations during May-July 2013, police have strengthened efforts and have fined/challaned 26,797 persons during May-July 2014, as per Kerala Police website. Fine amount collected from COTPA violators have also increased by 115 per cent in the same period. From Rs 2,270,950 in 2013, it rose to Rs 4,877,550 in 2014.
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