‘Tobacco kills over 7m people every year’

LAHORE: Anti-drugs/narcotics campaign consultant and Dir Drug Advisory Training Hub (DATH) official Syed Zulfiqar Hussain delivered a comprehensive lecture on smoking trend among university, college and school students jointly organised by District Health Authority Lahore, Drug Advisory Training Hub and an NGO in connection with World No Tobacco Day.

The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is tobacco and heart disease. Syed Zulfiqar in his lecture said more than nine educational institutions, including three universities, three colleges and three schools, have been declared smoke and drug-free campus in the province.

He said 10 per cent of household income is spent on tobacco products and less money is spent on food, education and healthcare. Heart and lung diseases and cancer are linked to tobacco, he said. “Tobacco kills more than 7 million people every year around the world; 12 per cent of deaths above 30 years of age are due to smoking and up to 10 billion cigarettes are disposed of in the environment every day. Smoking has increased in educational institutions in Pakistan without any fear,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer Health Authority Dr Shahnaz Nasim, Dr Bashir, Javed Iqbal and Ms Tahira Mariam and Ms Kubra Imtiaz spoke on the occasion. Dr Shahnaz Nasim, Chief Executive Officer Dist Health Authority, said the government is trying to reduce smoking trend among youths and Dist Health Authority has sealed illegal hospitals and clinics that are providing treatment for drug addicts without any international standards and protocol. She said tobacco use is an important risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.