Federal Health Minister Nasir Khan urged all health professionals to help the people change their behaviour to successfully curb the tobacco epidemic because tobacco is the second major cause of death. He said that five million people die annually throughout the world and the deaths toll will be more than 10 million till 2015. Half of the people who smoke today would eventually be killed by use of tobacco because it is the most common risk factor for death, he added.
The minister was addressing a seminar on "Health Professionals against Tobacco" on "World No Tobacco Day", organised by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in collaboration with the health ministry here on Tuesday.
Nasir said the government has agreed to enhance the budget of smoking-control programmes from present Rs 3 million to Rs 4.2 million for 2005-06.
He urged all health professionals specially doctors, nurses and paramedics to play a leading role in giving advice, guidance and answers to questions related to the hazards of tobacco.
Nasir Khan said that health professional can help the patients stop smoking because several studies shown that advice by health professionals is more acceptable in masses.
He said the country earned more than Rs 19 billion revenue from tobacco, but economic costs of it is equally devastating because tobacco kills people at the height of productivity age.
He said that Pakistan has promulgated three ordinances; "health warning in 1979, protection of non-smokers health ordinances and amendment ordinance 2002, but all three requires implementation.
The minister said that strict guidelines for tobacco advertisement have been notified and ads on the radio and TV can only be made from midnight 12 am till 6 am.
PIMS Executive Director Professor Syed Fazle Hadi, Heartfile Director Dr Sania Nistar, WHO Health Education Consultant Abdul Sattar Chaudhry, and Health Director General Majid Rajput also addressed the event.
Dr Sania Nistar said that smoking is the root cause of 90 percent lung cancer, 75 percent bronchitis, and 25 percent ischaemic heart disease death under 65 years of age in men.
She said that deaths from tobacco related diseases are higher than malaria, maternal and childhood conditions and TB combined.
Professor Syed Fazle Hadi said the government must develop and implement tobacco control policies that must involve health care professionals in implementing smoke-free health facilities.
Majid Rajput, in the key-note address, said that almost 25 million people are addicted to smoking and out of which one-thirds are youth.
He said that 90 percent diseases are associated with use of tobacco, and mostly youth is associated with smoking which is an alarming situation prevailing in the country.
WHO MESSAGE: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged health professionals to be a 'role model' by not using tobacco and by promoting a tobacco-free culture in every public place.
In a written statement on World No Tobacco Day, WHO Regional Director (Eastern Mediterranean region) Dr Hussein Gezairy said that 78 percent of the medical students surveyed, believed that health professionals could serve as role models for their patients.
He shared the statistics of a survey that over 23 percent health professionals smoke with average consumption of 16 cigarettes a day.
He said that although 97.9 percent of survey participants agreed that smoking is harmful to health, only 10 percent had successfully quit smoking, adding around 70 percent physicians, who smoke regularly believed that their advice is less effective to their patients to stop smoking.
Dr Hussein Gezairy said that more than 75 percent of health professionals in the countries surveyed consistently agreed with the need to implement the elements of comprehensive tobacco control initiatives.
He said that every organisation must prohibit the sale or promotion of tobacco products in their premises.
Dr Hussein Gezairy urged the health professionals to dedicate financial and other resources to tobacco control, and must actively support their governments on implementation of policies and legislation.
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