The head of the Cancer Department, Nishtar Medical College and Hospital, Dr Abrar Javed, has stressed the need for including the hazards of tobacco use in the MBBS course, and urged the government to ensure the same.
Talking to APP here on Friday, he said that the tobacco use caused many serious ailments and was the single most potent factor in causing cancer, which was a killer disease.
Every year 75,000 people in Pakistan died of cancer caused by tobacco use, he added. He said it was a pity that even medical students, who were fully aware of the hazards, were found smoking or using tobacco in different forms.
"The government must include material detailing the risks of tobacco use in the MBBS curriculum, so that it is ingrained in the student-doctors, enabling them to be more compelling and effective opponents of the habit while dealing with the patients," he observed.
Most common cancers caused by tobacco use in Pakistan included lung cancer, mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, urinary bladder etc, he mentioned. Dr Abrar said the Cancer Society, Multan, since the last 12 years, had been a strong anti-tobacco advocate, organising seminars, conferences and walks against this menace.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), he said the role of health workers, doctors, nurses and paramedics was of paramount importance in warning people against the risks of smoking and tobacco use in any form, thus they should be role models of the masses. Dr Abrar also urged that the government ordinance against smoking in public places, offices and educational institutions should be effectively implemented.