On World No Tobacco Day, docs push for bigger warnings
Pictorial warnings currently displayed on packets of tobacco products are of a scorpion depicting cancer and of a chest X-Ray which will require a radiologist to explain the bad effects of tobacco.
Hyderabad: Pictorial warnings currently displayed on packets of tobacco products are of a scorpion depicting cancer and of a chest X-Ray which will require a radiologist to explain the bad effects of tobacco. However, both of them have little impact on smokers and tobacco users who don’t understand the point that tobacco kills.
Every year, 8 to 9 lakh Indians die due to tobacco-related diseases which are preventable, said experts on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, observed on May 31. The National Tobacco Control Cell has developed several anti-tobacco advertisements for television, but the airing of these is very infrequent, raising concerns whether the government is really interested in controlling the menace.
Dr P. Vijay Anand Reddy, director of Apollo Cancer Hospital, said, “Pictorial warnings with the actual depiction of distorted faces from oral cancers have worked tremendously in curbing the habits in young in South East Asian countries and Europe. The warnings depict the real life pictures. Hence, it is the best way to control youngsters from getting into this habit. We want the government to seriously look into this aspect.”
Images are found to work wonders and also cross the barriers of language and even the rural population can view the message the effectively. In a recent household survey, it was found that 2.4 per cent women of higher income groups smoke and 12 per cent women in the lower income group consume or chew tobacco. The recent data from National Household Survey of Drug and Alcohol Abuse shows that there are 200 million tobacco consumers, of which 13 per cent smoke cigarettes and 54 per cent consume it in the form of beedi and gutka.
In the fight against tobacco, a lot of family members of tobacco consumers are now speaking about the ill-effects of tobacco as they take care of their loved ones in the last stages of their life. Fighting the disease is toughest as the victim goes through a terrible time with ulcers in the mouth and in some cases also in the chest.
Nikhu Sidhu, wife of Rahul Saghal who died at the age of 48 years of oral cancer says, “His habit of chewing tobacco cost him three years of horrible trauma where the entire family suffered. The malignancy surfaced thrice in his body and despite a very aggressive treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, he couldn’t be saved. The last few months were very traumatic as he was in a vegetative state and couldn’t even drink water.”
( Source : dc )
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