Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) is organising a number of activities on "World No Tobacco Day" to create awareness among the masses to prevent the incidence of cancer which is on the rise due to smoking. According to the hospital's spokesman, a prize distribution ceremony will be held on May 31st 2013 in this regard, where winners of Anti-Tobacco Poster Competition 2013 which was organised in the major educational institutions across Pakistan to mark the day will receive shields.
According to him, approximately 6000 posters were received in total. It is a fact that cancer accounts for one in eight deaths globally. In the 20th century, the tobacco epidemic killed 100 million people world-wide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its report says that by the year 2030, there will be more than 8 million deaths every year unless urgent action is taken.
In line with its commitment to create awareness against tobacco related diseases, the hospital has already started organising awareness sessions at colleges and universities where the experts are delivering comprehensive lectures, highlighting the cause of lung cancer and other smoking related fatal diseases like heart attack, chronic lung problems, peptic ulcers and tuberculosis.