LAHORE, July 25: Federal Health Minister Naseer Khan has said all state-run hospitals and medical institutions will be declared smoke-free to promote healthy lifestyle in the country. He was speaking at a seminar on healthy lifestyle organized by the ministry of health in collaboration with the World Health Organization at Fatima Jinnah Medical College on Monday.

The seminar was organized as a part of a series of seminars on ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ in medical and dental colleges across the country. Under this programme, the WHO has agreed to provide $1,000 to each institution to prepare and install banners and placards and prepare and distribute pamphlets, brochures, etc.

The ministry, in collaboration with WHO, has also set up a ‘Healthy Lifestyle Unit’ at the FJMC and asked all other medical and dental colleges and health institutes to help set up units on their premises to control communicable and other diseases, mostly caused due to unhealthy lifestyle.

The minister said the doctors needed to lead by example to motivate people against unhealthy practices. The incidence of diseases was increasing due to smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise.

Mr Khan said 75 per cent of diseases could be averted by adopting healthy lifestyles and drinking clean water. People should avoid fast food to avoid diseases, which had economic implications too.

“Pakistan’s health policy is based on preventive healthcare that is more efficient and cost-effective,” he added.

He said unhealthy lifestyle was causing diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, behaviour disorders and drug-dependency. It had become critical to change behaviours towards lifestyle.

Mr Khan said a number of ordinances had been promulgated for controlling menace of smoking and promoting breastfeeding, safe blood supply and mental health.

“Now there is a need to implement the laws,” he stressed.

FJMC principal Prof Akbar Chaudhry stressed that everybody should do at least 30 minutes’ exercise a day, avoid smoking and take balanced diet.

It was a matter of grave concern that people were consuming tobacco in betel leaves besides smoking.

WHO operations officer Dr Ismatullah Chaudhry said the organization had set a priority of promoting healthy lifestyle to eradicate diseases.

He stressed that individuals, families, society and the state should feel their responsibility to promote health and hygiene to control diseases. The objectives of ‘Health for All’ could not be achieved without adopting healthy lifestyle.

WHO consultant Abdul Sattar Chaudhry and Prof Shakila Zaman also spoke on the occasion.