India Spends Nearly 30,000 Crore on Tobacco Associated Diseases

Source from:  Deccan Herald  11/18/2013

India has been spending nearly Rs 30,000 crore on the three diseases associated with tobacco, said Head and Neck Cancer Surgeon, Consultant at Institute of Public Health, Dr Vishal Rao U S.

At a media sensitisation workshop organised by Mysore Districts Journalists Association (MDJA) on 'WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control treaty and its impact on tobacco control in India,' he said tobacco users were at the risk of getting major diseases including tuberculosis and cancers. Nearly 16 per cent of the income generated through tobacco products in the country was spent on the fatal diseases due to tobacco.

WHO data

According to WHO studies, he said, there were more than two crore people addicted to tobacco intake, out of which at least 66 lakh members died at an early age. In recent years, youth aged 25 were also being victims of fatal disease associated with tobacco, while, in earlier days, it was people above 50 nor 60 years of age who died of the same.

"On an average, persons between 30 to 40 years of age are in the higher risk of deaths due to cancers. Studies reveal, children as young as 10 years of age are addicted to tobacco in India," he added.

He said that a recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey states that 40 per cent men and 16 per cent women above 15 years of age are consuming tobacco. Eight per cent of boys between 13 to 15 years of age and two per cent of girls were using tobacco products.

Passive smoking

While, 37 per cent adults were effected with passive smoking, 47 per cent children were victims of cigarette smoking in public places.

Five to six thousand children were admitted to hospitals in the State due to problems related to passive smoking and most of them were at the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Tobacco consumption claimed life of one person every eight second. "At least 10 lakh people die of tobacco products every year in India," he added.

Rao said that not more than two hotels in the Karnataka had followed all regulations in setting up a separate smoking zone.

The smoking zone should have automatic door and separate ventilation,  which does not allow smoke to pass into other areas in the hotel. "Hotels are not ready to spend lakhs together for the system," he added.

He said that Mysore was the first city to implement the Act strictly in Karnataka. Sections 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act, 2003, says that sale of tobacco in public places, prohibition of advertisements, sale to minors and sale at places surrounding schools as well as colleges was prohibited.

Law enforcement

Commissioner of Police M A Saleem said that apart from awareness, enforcement was the need of the hour. Mere penalisation on violation of use of tobacco was not sufficient, but people had to be made aware. All sectors in the society had to join hands in preventing the hazards of tobacco.

Information posters depicting ill-effects of tobacco use were released on the occasion.
Durgaiah, a survivor of throat cancer said that his whole family had suffered the hazards of the cancer, which he was afflicted due to tobacco consumption.

He has been with the NGO, to make people aware of the problems with his example. Enditem