Cancer victims, doctors urge govt to remove smoking rooms from airports, hotels

On the occasion of No Smoking Day doctors cancer victims and hotel associations urged the government to remove designated smoking rooms in hotels restaurants and airports to protect people from secondhand smokeWhile appreciating the government for initiating the process to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act COTPA 2003 they appealed for immediate removal of the current provision that permits smoking areas to make the country 100 per cent smokefreeSmoking worsens lung function and reduces immunity All designated smoking areas in hotels and restaurants and even airports should be abolished to ensure a 100 per cent smokefree environment Most of these designated smoking areas are rarely compliant as per COTPA requirements and are actually putting our public at great health risk from exposure to secondhand smoke said Dr Harit Chaturvedi chairman Max Institute of Cancer CareIn India smoking is banned in all public places under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production Supply and Distribution Act 2003 Section 4 of this Act prohibits smoking in any place to which the public has accessHowever COTPA 2003 presently allows smoking in certain public places like restaurants hotels and airports in designated smoking areasAlso readDespite American Airlines ban student who urinated on fellow passenger can fly with other carriers ExpertsExposure to passive smoking happens in eateries specifically hotels restaurants bars pubs and clubs risking the lives of thousands of nonsmokers by exposing them to the smoke of cigarettesAs cigarette smoke seeps from smoking areas to common areas the COTPA Act needs to be amended to not permit smoking in any premises All places should be completely smokefree in the best interest of the public health said Nalini Satyanarayan a passive smoking victim and health activistSecondhand smoking is as harmful as smoking Exposure to secondhand smoke causes many diseases including lung cancer and heart disease in adults and the impairment of the lung function and respiratory infections in childrenPeople with compromised respiratory and cardiovascular systems are at higher risk for severe severity and deathDesignated smoking areas facilitate the spread of infection as smokers cannot socially distance or wear masks and are trapped in close proximity in a smokefilled environmentiquestWe are finding that families prefer to stay in hotels which do not allow smoking We are happy that the government is strengthening the COTPA provisions to make hospitality sector completely smokefree We support the government in its initiative for safeguarding peoples healthiquest said Dr G P Sharma president Hospitality Association of Uttar PradeshThe Government of India has started the COTPA amendment process and introduced the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production Supply and Distribution Amendment Bill 2020A recent survey conducted in India revealed that 72 per cent believe secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard and 88 per cent people strongly support strengthening of the current tobacco control law to address this menaceIndia has the second largest number of tobacco users 268 million or 286 per cent of all adults in India in the world of these at least 12 million die every year from tobacco related diseasesOne million deaths are due to smoking with over 200000 due to secondhand smoke exposure and over 35000 are due to smokeless tobacco useNearly 27 per cent of all cancers in India are due to tobacco usage The total direct and indirect cost of diseases attributable to tobacco use was a staggering Rs 182 crore which is nearly 18 per cent of Indias GDPThis 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