KARACHI: The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. According to WHO, tobacco kills more than 8 million people a year around the world and remains the leading cause of preventable deaths.

Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Pakistan has 24 million active tobacco users and is one of the world’s top tobacco consuming countries.

Sehat Kahani, the affluent tele-medicine organisation has rolled out many successful public campaigns in the past that disseminate credible information about diseases and their prevention as well as methods of harm reduction.

To kick off the campaign, Sehat Kahani held an online webinar held recently, where prominent officials from the Tobacco Control Cell and ministry of health participated and shared their thoughts on how to curb the usage & their experiences on the harmfulness of cigarette consumption amongst a population of over 220 million Pakistanis.

COO & Co-founder Sehat Kahani, Dr Iffat Zafar Aga, moderated the webinar which was graced by expert panelists; Dr Nausheen Hamid - Parliamentary Secretary on Health & Dr Samra Mazhar- Deputy Director Programs - Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination and Professor Doctor Shahzad Ali Khan, VC Health Services Academy,

On this occasion, Nausheen Hamid - parliamentary Secretary on Health Pakistan commented: “The ministry is actively working on ways to curb the consumption of tobacco by introducing various policies, reforms, as well as taxes to reduce tobacco consumption especially in the youth and we, are also working towards reducing illicit tobacco trade and look forward towards receiving support from the private sector in enhancing awareness around quitting cigarette consumption and collectively moving towards behavioural change.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021