Must combat dual burden of smoking & smokeless tobacco in India: Experts

It is imperative to combat the dual burden of smoking and smokeless tobacco in India health experts and policymakers contended at the sixth National Conference on Tobacco or Health held in the national capital on FridayIndia faces an alarming toll of over 1 million annual deaths attributed to tobacco useThe nation is also in an ambitious race against time to achieve a tobaccofree status by 2025It is important to combat the dual burden of smoking and smokeless tobacco which currently affects nearly 29 per cent of Indian adults said Dr Prof Sutapa B Neogi Director of International Institute of Health Management Research IIHMR DelhiShe also emphasised the need for collective action to drive impactful change in tobacco control policies and practicesThe threeday conference from February 1618 has been organised by the IIHMR in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is themed Towards TobaccoFree India An Audacious Race Against Time at the India Habitat Centre in New DelhiDr Atul Goel Director General of Health Services DGHS highlighted the critical role of multisectoral intervention in navigating the country towards a healthier futureHe emphasised the need for a concerted effort across various sectors to tackle the deeprooted issue of tobacco use in societyHe also underlined Indias position as the 4th largest global producer of tobacco in 2021 highlighting the magnitude of the challengeEarly in January the World Health Organisation WHO in a report stated that India is on track to achieve a 30 per cent relative reduction in tobacco use prevalence by 2025 relative to 2010 India needs adaptive strategies and legislative measures to counter the tobacco industrys relentless creativity in introducing new products said Prof K Srinath Reddy from Population Health Foundation of India PHFIReddy also emphasised the imperative need for collective action to combat the parasitic and waterconsuming nature of tobacco cultivation advocating for continued efforts to counteract the industrys influence on health professionals and policymakersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever