KARACHI, Aug 24: The state-controlled Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television will soon be beaming free of charge public interest messages, particularly regarding the smoking hazards.

Federal minister for information, Nisar A Memon announced it while inaugurating the two-day “Revascularization Course in Pakistan 2002, here on Saturday.

“Revenue, even hefty, generated at the cost of public health cannot be appreciated,” the minister observed, taking stock of the fact that cardiac ailments are increasingly taking toll on the health of the people from the middle and low-income segments of the country.

According to him, though his tenure in the present capacity would cease in October this year, yet he intends to set a right precedence.

The subject, he agreed, was directly linked to the issue of “Medical Economics” which “not only include cost-effective procedures but lay equal emphasis on prevention.”

The minister called upon health experts to spare time to formulate a relevant strategy and coordinate with the media for the purpose.

He said the government was strongly committed to the welfare of the people and due to that very fact the decision about imposition of sales tax on drugs had been withdrawn by the President.

He assured the experts that their proposal for withdrawal of sales tax on disposable items, specially those required for the angioplasty procedures, would be forwarded to the ministries concerned.

Nisar Memon also appreciated the administration of the Liaquat National Hospital and the Pakistan Cardiac Society for introducing reforms by initiating hands-on training programmes in cardiac surgery for young doctors in the country. Referring to the significance of public-private partnership, he said, an outstanding example was the Liaquat National Hospital.

Earlier, president Pakistan Cardiac Society, Prof Shaheryar A Sheikh, mentioned that coronary diseases were inflicting people of all groups with a sudden surge. According to him, among the various contributory factors, smoking is identified as the single most common cause.

He also referred to WHO estimates, claiming that by 2020, heart diseases would emerge as the common cause of deaths and that 80 per cent of those would be contributed by India and Pakistan alone.

“It must be remembered that smoking contributes to 35 per cent of all cases of first heart attack,” the cardiologist said regretting that Pakistan lacks any consistent policy to curtail smoking, while the local youth are fast being trapped by fetching cigarette advertisements on the electronic as well as the print media.

The senior cardiologist observed that the situation, complimented by deep-rooted poverty, would become extremely serious and hence it needed to be addressed without any delay.

Prof Sheikh recalled that in the 1960s the United States of America was also exposed to a similar sort of pandemic and had come forward with a combination of solutions which included primary prevention like diet control and physical exercise, followed by across-the-board awareness and adequate treatment facilities /provisions.

He elaborated that 25 per cent of the disease incidence rate was contained through emphasis on primary prevention, another 25 per cent by targeting people who were at high risk (family history) and 50 per cent through improved therapeutics.

He added that all advancements in the field of cardiac surgery and relevant treatment procedures were noticed to have taken place from the said period onwards.

Saying that the cost factor was of equal concern for surgeons as well as patients, he requested the minister to use his good offices to get exempted disposables used in angioplasty from the sales tax.

Prof Mansoor Ahmed, course director and head of the Cardiology Department, Liaquat National Hospital, speaking on the occasion, said that keeping in view the extent of disease prevalence in the society, there was a dire need for regular and affordable training programme as well as refresher courses for local doctors.

The Pakistan Cardiac Society, he said, had taken the initiative and since 1998-99 the revascularization course had been conducted, exposing young doctors to modern treatment modalities evolved over the years.

The inaugural session of the course was also addressed by Prof Abdus Samad and Dr Abdul Rasheed Khan. Shields were given to seasoned cardiologists Dr Abdul Haq, Dr Taj Mohammad Khan, Dr Mansoor Ali, Prof Mansoor, Prof Sheryar and others.

—APP