Pakistan has reached yet another milestone – but this time, for all the wrong reasons
According to the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Saira Afzal Tarar, Pakistan was ranked 54th amongst 84 countries with the highest prevalence of tobacco smoking.
This is a major cause for concern and the figures that have been revealed are staggering.
According to the Saira Afzal:
24 million (19.1%) are using tobacco in different forms in Pakistan.
That accounts for 15.6 million adults who currently smoke tobacco while the other 9.6 million adults use smokeless tobacco, Saira added.
According to the Pakistan Health Education Survey 1999, every day 5000 Pakistanis are admitted to the hospital due to tobacco use.
With the cost of smoking amounting to Rs. 143.209 billion and 160,189 deaths are a caused by the use of tobacco, the figures are a cause for concern.
Efforts have been made to control that and according to the minister, early detection and treatment of diseases caused by tobacco use were done in hospitals.
She said that Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and the provincial governments are taking steps for early detection and treatment caused by tobacco use.
According to her, the ministry has taken various steps to increase awareness among the masses. This includes mass media campaigns on tobacco control with the assistance of World Lung Foundation (2015, 2016). And with the support of the Federal Film Censor Board, a pilot advocacy campaign in cinema theaters across Pakistan.
In this campaign, two tobacco control messages, “Alive” and “Sponge” have been disseminated to all cinema THEATERS to air/broadcast them during their shows regularly.
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