ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel on Tuesday said Pakistan is the only country in the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) region that would achieve the target of reducing tobacco use by 30 per cent by 2025.

In a message released on ‘World No Tobacco Day’, he said that last year Pakistan got the World No Tobacco Day Award from the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Eastern Mediterranean region on effective anti-tobacco steps of the ministry of NHS.

“I also extend my compliments and felicitations to the ministry for achieving the smoke free model and controlling the prevalence of tobacco use in Pakistan.”

The World No Tobacco Day was observed on May 31 to highlight the hazards associated with the use of tobacco and spotlight efforts being made by governments, civil society and individuals across the globe to safeguard the health of the people through preventive, persuasive and punitive measures against the use of tobacco. The theme for the day was ‘Tobacco: threat to our environment’.

Mr Patel said the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken major strides in the realm of tobacco control.

“We have issued SRO 72 (I) /2020 of Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non Smokers Health Ordinance 2002, banned all forms of tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorship and related products. We have also enforced graphic health warning by 60pc space of cigarettes packs and outers and banned the sale of cigarettes to under 18,” he said.

“I am pleased to share that we successfully implemented a smoke free Islamabad model through 85pc compliance of tobacco control laws,” he said.

He said that the tobacco epidemic kills nearly eight million people globally every year. More than seven million of these deaths are from direct tobacco use and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to secondhand smoke.

Meanwhile, at an event organised by Chromatic Trust, which was attended by 400 students, it was stated that in Pakistan on an average 5,000 people were admitted to hospitals every day due to tobacco-related diseases and over 100,000 died every year. If tobacco consumption continues at the current pace, this figure is expected to rise significantly by 2030. Such a situation would prevent Pakistan from achieving the sustainable development agenda, which aims at reducing deaths from tobacco-related diseases by a third by 2030.

Pakistan is ranked 54th amongst 84 countries with high prevalence of tobacco smoking. Among the young population, 10.7pc of all youth, including 6.6pc girls and 13.3pc boys, consume tobacco or tobacco products.

Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani on the occasion urged the students to adopt healthy lifestyle and emphasised the need for higher taxation, which will not only stop students from tobacco consumption but will also help in revenue generation.

He said public representatives must create awareness on anti-tobacco measures, adding tobacco taxation will be debated in the Senate and National Assembly so that stronger legislation can be enacted to curb tobacco consumption.

PML-N Central Working Committee member and constitutional law expert Amina Sheikh said it was the constitutional right of every citizen to live a healthy life.

“It is our social responsibility to take part to curb this tobacco menace. With every burning cigarette, we are destroying the future of our children who have become vulnerable to tobacco addiction, which is also causing loss in their productivity,” she said.

Country chief of Vital Strategies and former technical head of Tobacco Control Cell, Dr Ziauddin Islam, said it is important for the government to increase prices of tobacco products as majority of smokers will choose to quit or reduce smoking in response to the price increase.”

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022