KARACHI: A complete ban on availability on sugar sweetened beverages as well smoking is inevitable to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths due to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), hypertension and diabetes, leading health experts Thursday said and urged the authorities to make sugary drinks and tobacco products ‘unaffordable’ in the country.

“Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and smoking are the leading cause of heart disease but in Pakistan, sugary drinks and cigarettes are easily available on cheap rates. If we want to prevent early deaths and disability among our youngsters, we would have to ban these products and promote healthy lifestyle in the country,” renowned physician Prof Ejaz Vohra said while inaugurating the renovated cardiology department at Civil Hospital Karachi.

Prof Ejaz Vohra also inaugurated department of cardiovascular rehabilitation and prevention services at the Civil Hospital Karachi and hoped that in addition to treatment of cardiovascular diseases, rehabilitation services at the CHK cardiology department would help patients in becoming productive members of society following angioplasties and cardiac surgeries.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022