KARACHI, Dec 28: Health practitioners and researchers have warned against the hazards of tobacco consumption and sought the help of show-biz personalities, lawyers and mediamen in creating an awareness among people in this regard.

Speaking at a lecture session, organized by Pakistan Chest Society (PCS) Sindh at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on Wednesday, they urged the government to exercise an effective control on tobacco products in the country, because it was a signatory to the international convention on the prohibition of smoking.

In view of the adverse results of increased public addiction to tobacco, doctors have been warning consumers against the epidemic of tobacco in South Asia. Now time has come for a close coordination between policy-makers, media figures, doctors and politicians so that a pressure group could be built in this regard.

Cigarettes and other tobacco products, including “biri”, chewing tobacco etc have nothing to do anything positive as far as creativity or smartness is concerned, they said.

Dr Musarrat Hussain, the acting director of JPMC, said that tobacco was initially marketed by Britain, Spain and a few other countries years back and was later accepted across the globe with the misperception that it was related to heroism and body strength.

In his keynote address, Dr Prakash Chandar Gupta, an Indian earning PhD in the science of epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, US, said that cigarette smoking among men picked up during the First World War, while women started smoking during the Second World War. The health consequences of tobacco use were noticed in 50s and 60s, he added.

He said that tobacco even taken in small doses was harmful.

According to latest estimates, smoking kills one in two smokers, while it is unknown about the people who might themselves be non-smokers, but died as were exposed to cigarette smokes.

About the diseases caused to smokers or those exposed to smoke, the expert who is associated with Healis-Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health Mumbai, said it was unfortunate that once a person takes up the first pack of cigarette, he is left with no choice, but to buy further, surely a sorry tale of addiction to nicotine present in tobacco.

Dr Prakash Chandra Gupta called upon the health care providers to contribute substantially in motivating public against the use of tobacco consumption.

Hospitals should be made smoking-free zones, patients be asked to stop smoking, while magazines promoting tobacco through advertisements be also banned in hospitals and clinics, he said.

He said there should be a ban on all kinds of advertisements pertaining to tobacco, and taxation on such products should be on the higher side and that it should be increased more than that of the inflation rate.

There should be strong warning labels, and there should be a policy for no smoking in public places, he observed, adding progress in tobacco control had been slow in the developing and Saarc countries and consumption was increasing only because tobacco use was being promoted by an organized industry.

“We need to start advocating for stronger measures for tobacco control and make the government realize its responsibilities for safety of public health,” he added.

He said 40 per cent of all heart diseases and 90 per cent of lung cancers occur were due to smoking.

Prof Nadeem Rizvi of JMPC, president of PCS Sindh, said that tobacco companies in Pakistan were being given a free hand to promote a powerful addictive substance to the population, including small aged youths and women.

He once again called for removal of tobacco related bill-boards, curb on use of media for promotion of all kinds of tobacco products and gutka and pan masala, as these result in increase in the incidence of head, neck and mouth cancers.

Prof Javed a Khan, vice president of the PCS, Sindh, Dr Rehana Mehar and Dr Shahina Qayyum also spoke and called for a political will to discourage the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products.