July 17, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, July 16: More than four million people die of smoking or tobacco-related diseases every year in the world and if timely measures are not taken, the number will increase to 10 million per annum by the year 2020, said experts at a seminar.

The seminar, which held here on Tuesday in connection with the “World No Tobacco Day”, was informed that there were over 1.2 billion smokers in the world, out of which about 900 million were from developing countries. “Most of them started smoking before the age of 18.”

With the availability of cheapest cigarettes in the world, the situation in Pakistan is also bleak, as according to a survey conducted by the Pakistan Health Education in 1992, there were 22 million smokers in the country, the seminar was told.

The seminar was organized by the National Institute of Health and the theme of the day was “tobacco free sports-play it clean.”

A call was also given during the seminar to ask people not to smoke, prohibit industry people to put up posters in their areas, quit purchase from the stores which display cigarette boards, declare sports and housed as the tobacco-free.

The seminar was told that the tobacco advertisements increased the tobacco consumption which was evident from the fact that tobacco companies spent approximately Rs623 million per annum for the promotion of smoking habits among youths in Pakistan.

“While the government has an annual budget of Rs2 million to counter this campaign.”

The federal health minister, Dr Abdul Malik Kasi, who presided over the seminar, said a draft ordinance had been prepared to prohibit smoking in enclosed public places and sale of tobacco products to minors.

The ordinance will be sent to the cabinet for approval before the upcoming general elections, he added.

About the government’s efforts to protect the masses from the health hazards of smoking, he said the commitment of the government was visible from the control measures, like strong public health education campaign had virtually posted a policeman in each home, smoking in public transport was virtually banned while all famous carriers, including PIA, also banned smoking, many national and international organizations declared their premises smoke-free while the smoking was prohibited in offices, official meetings, schools and hospitals.

The WHO representative, Dr Khalif Bile, said nearly 700 million or almost half of the world’s children breathed in the air polluted by smokers. He also cited a World Bank report to establish that a reduction in consumption of tobacco would not necessarily translate into fewer jobs.

The director-general health, Maj-Gen Muhammad Aslam (retired) cited studies and said “smokers perform badly than non-smokers in sports.” Adverse effects of smoking also make it more difficult for people to live a normal active daily life, he added. He said “Other studies have also shown that smokers are simply less fit than non-smokers.”

“The world is facing the greatest epidemic of smoking and the greatest medical disaster caused by the smoking-related diseases,” he said.

A study of 6,500 army recruits of 19-year age found that smokers ran a significantly shorter distance in 12 minutes compared with non-smokers.

He said the adult smokers (aging between 19 to 30) had less muscular strength and flexibility than non-smokers. Another study in 1982 found that sports people who smoked also had disturbed sleep patterns and other complaints of illness.

He said smokers had fast decline in physical fitness and lungs infection and had less haemoglobin to carry oxygen to different parts of body. “Besides, the smoking also reduces the lungs ability to absorb oxygen and reduces endurance even during resting.”

The WHO health education consultant, Abdul Sattar Chaudhry, said the tobacco industry had the responsibility of man made disaster which kills people through glamorous advertising.

He deplored that the tobacco industry was the biggest sponsors of sports while Pakistan had become an open market for every one to come and market the cigarette brands.

He described the voluntary code and self-regulatory code for marketing of cigarettes as farce deploring that the industry had been and was advertising smoking as sophisticated, professionally successful, sexually attractive and brave people.

He said the ban on advertisement led to reduced tobacco consumption-a fact proven in 27 countries.