"Cigarette smoking claims 100,000 lives every year in Pakistan where the rising tobacco consumption calls for effective anti-tobacco measures. The continually rising prevalence of smoking has brought the number of people who smoke to a staggering over 22 million according to WHO", said Iqbal Bengali, Managing Director of Pfizer Pakistan at a media briefing where he announced the launch of a toll free smoking cessation helpline on the World No Tobacco Day.
Bengali said that the objective of launching on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day the Quit-Smoking Helpline for the millions of smokers in the country is to encourage them to quit smoking and opt for a healthier lifestyle. He also said that the initiative of launching the helpline-0800-I QUIT (0800-47848) - was in line with the vision of the company, which works towards making Pakistan a healthier nation.
EMINENT DOCTORS: Professor Javed A. Khan, Head of Pulmonology & Critical Care, department of medicine, AKU and Chairperson of Tobacco Prevention section of International Union Against TB & Lung diseases; Professor Masood Hameed Khan, (TI), Vice Chancellor, DOW University of Health and Sciences; Professor Ejaz Vohra, Head Department of Medicine, Dr Ziauddin Hospital & University, Karachi; Dr Ishtiaq Rasool, Assistant Professor, Cardiology, NICVD on behalf of Professor Azhar Masood A. Faruqui, SI, Director NICVD, Karachi were also present on the occasion.
Tobacco use is one of the chief preventable causes of death in the world. WHO attributes about five million deaths a year to tobacco use, a figure apprehended to rise to about 10 million deaths a year by 2020, with 7 million of these deaths occurring in developing countries.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Javed A. Khan said that smoking was the single largest preventable cause of death in Pakistan and the high prevalence of smoking in Pakistan called for implementation of effective measures by the concerned authorities to curb the tobacco epidemic and help evolve a healthier future of the nation. He urged the government to take effective anti-tobacco measures to strongly discourage people from smoking.
The doctors also welcomed the launch of the helpline, which coincided with the World No Tobacco and expressed hope that such initiatives will encourage smokers to seriously contemplate quitting while also strengthening anti-tobacco movements. The helpline will provide toll free calling service to smokers who want to quit smoking and will be open from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Saturday.-PR
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