LAHORE, Sept 28: A complete ban on tobacco advertisements was demanded by the 23rd international conference on tuberculosis and lung disease, eastern region of IUALTD that concluded here on Wednesday after four days of marathon sessions attended by over 500 local and 200 foreign delegates.

In its recommendations, the conference held jointly by the Pakistan Anti-TB Association, Pakistan Chest Society and National TB Control Programme expressed grave concern over rising epidemic of smoking in Pakistan that was causing an increase in incidence of tuberculosis and lung diseases.

It called upon the government and doctors to work together against the tobacco industry and health professionals should play active role and act as a role model against smoking.

The conference also observed that environmental pollution was also major health hazard in Pakistan and urged the government and the private sector to take initiatives to convert public transport from diesel to CNG as the smoke emitting vehicles were the main source of environmental pollution causing respiratory and lung disorders among the people.

It said that there was no concept of occupational lung health in this part of this world and demanded that strict laws regarding safety standards and payment of compensation should be made and implemented without delay. Similarly asthma was still a major health problem in Pakistan and other countries of the eastern region. It called upon the health professionals to take necessary measures to increase awareness about the disease by developing guidelines for its proper diagnosis and treatment of patients.

The conference observed that TB was a major health problem in the eastern region of the world. In the public sector while the Pakistan National TB Control Programme had achieved 100 per cent coverage the private sector was lagging behind. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of 70 per cent detection rate and 85 per cent treatment success rate was yet to be achieved that was at present less than 50 per cent and 78 per cent, respectively. It recommended that the private sector should incorporate the National TB Control Programme and capacity building of the health professionals should be improved by continuous training, quality laboratory services in primary health care and tertiary hospitals, drug delivery management system should be improved and the community should also be involved.

Priority should be given to tertiary hospitals in the National TB Control Programme in achieving the MDG goals. Teaching to the medical students should be improved in medical colleges. The conference pointed out that drug resistance among TB patients was a major issue and DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course) should be promoted by the medical profession.

On Tuesday, the third day of the conference, eight scientific sessions were held and 48 research papers were presented by TB experts during the sessions.

Pakistani delegate Dr Nausheen Ahmad discussed in detail the effects of pulmonary disease that is the main cause of the TB in Pakistan. Prof Shamshad Rasul Awan of the KEMC was the main speaker at the plenary session who discussed TB in Pakistan’s perspective.

Addressing the concluding session of the conference, the executive director of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUALTD), Paris, Dr Nils E. Billo, said that TB was a major worldwide problem that needed a collective action by governments, NGOs, private sector, medical professionals and all other sections of society to control the disease. In Pakistan, TB was also a major problem that should be seriously tackled. He appreciated that all sections of society were making accelerated efforts to control TB in Pakistan. He expressed his concern over the activities of the major tobacco companies which, he said, had shifted their business to the developing countries of Asia and Africa and were spending huge amounts on advertisements of their products. He said that all such advertisements should be banned.

The IUALTD Eastern Region president and conference’s organizing committee chairman Muhammad Nawaz, who is also Pakistan Anti-TB Association president and delegates of Bangladesh, Japan, Malaysia, India and Pakistan also addressed the last session expressing their appreciation and satisfaction over the arrangements and outcome of the conference.