Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The alarming rise in tobacco consumption and its deadly consequences were the focus of the workshop on tobacco control organised by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Sunday. Dr Anilkumar J Nayak, national general secretary of IMA, highlighted the critical situation, noting that monthly tobacco-related deaths have more than doubled over the past two decades, from 1,800 to 4,000.
"Twenty years ago, 20 per cent of boys and 3 per cent of girls used to take tobacco products. Today, these numbers have escalated to 39 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively," Dr Nayak told Free Press. He emphasised the urgency of addressing this issue, particularly among adolescents aged 13 to 15, to prevent long-term addiction and said, "If addiction occurs at this age, it becomes a problem later.
People should prevent the consumption among adolescents and must focus on significantly reducing future addiction risks." Dr Nayak also underscored the importance of educational initiatives in schools and informed about the IMA’s ‘Aao Gaon Chale’ programme, where doctors visit villages weekly to educate residents on the hazards of tobacco use. "We have organised many such workshops in different cities to protect future generations from tobacco consumption.
Our local branches have also adopted villages in Haryana, Gujarat, and other states where they are providing health and educational support to them" he added. Clearing IMA’s stand on traditional medicine, he said, “Even we support the alternative medicine treatment as every pathy has its effects and results. We are only against the cross pathy as it is hazardous for patients as well.”
’Widespread availability of tobacco products has severe impact’
Dr Rakesh Gupta, office bearer of the Rajasthan Cancer Society, warned of the widespread availability of tobacco products and their severe impact on individuals and society. "In Madhya Pradesh, large-scale tendu leaf and beedi production is contributing to the problem," he said. Dr Dilip Kumar Acharya, national chairman of the IMA Cancer and Tobacco Control Committee, highlighted that tobacco use leads to various severe health issues, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
The workshop also featured a virtual address by Dr Jagdish Kaur, regional advisor of the World Health Organisation, who elaborated on existing laws aimed at curbing tobacco use. Experts including Dr BM Srivastava, Dr Sandeep Julka, Dr Ulhas Mahajan, Dr AK Pancholia, Dr Arun Aggarwal, Dr Ravi Dosi, and Dr Sumit Jain presented detailed lectures on tobacco-related diseases. Key attendees included Dr Kshitij Bali, Dr Narendra Patidar, Dr Akshat Pandey, Dr Sanjay Londhe, Dr Sumit Shukla, Dr Amit Malakar, and Dr SS Nayyar.
