As many as 5,000 people in the country are admitted in the hospitals everyday due to tobacco related diseases, 274 die daily and above 100,000 die every year due to smoking, while the world-wide deaths caused by the use of tobacco are above 5 million every year. This was said by Consultant Pulmonologist Dr Mati-ur-Rehman during a seminar with the theme of "trial against tobacco" organised here at Shifa International Hospital (SIH) to mark 'World No Tobacco Day' on Thursday.
Dr Mati said half of the Pakistani men are regular smokers and about 55 percent families in Pakistan have at least one person who smokes, saying that sheesha was equally injurious to health. Dr Saeedullah Shah said when a cigarette company anywhere in the world earns $5000, one smoker dies. He said it was alarming that above 70 percent people with cardiovascular diseases are smokers.-PR