Political parties unwilling to include Tobacco Control in manifestos: Dr Purohit

Bhopal/New Delhi : ” Political parties do not seem seriously  interested in people’s health or welfare.
Instead, they are only interested in generating votes. A look at the poll manifestos of leading parties in the on-going Lok Sabha elections 2024 – shows that none of them have the political will to tackle the perils of tobacco use .” said Dr Naresh Purohit, Advisor- National Tobacco Control Programme.

Voicing his concern at a workshop on “War Against Cancer Caused By Tobacco Use ” organised by the Bhopal based Jawahar Lal Nehru Cancer Hospital And Research Centre , on the eve of World No Tobacco Day , Eminent Epidemiologist Dr Purohit averred that tobacco causes one million deaths in India annually and
the rate of cancers caused by tobacco use is 40 percent in men and 15-20 percent among women.

“Around 54% of total cancer cases reported in male is because of consumption of tobacco in Madhya Pradesh. Similarly, 17% to 18% of total cancer cases reported in females is due to tobacco use in the state. According to the recent Indian Council of Medical Research Cancer Registry Data report, Bhopal leads in oral cancer in the world” he added.
He pointed out that monthly tobacco-related deaths have more than doubled over the past two decades, from 1,800 to 4,000 in the country.
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.

Renowned public health expert exhorted political parties to sincerely consider inclusion of issues related to greater public good, such as tobacco control, and added that medical resources are already being severely stretched.

Principal Investigator for the Association of Studies in Cancer Care Dr Purohit pointed that unwillingness of political parties to include tobacco control measures and policies in the manifesto has resulted in unnecessary burden of tobacco – related diseases and deaths.

He averred that there is now one doctor serving 1,800 people as against the WHO guideline of one doctor for 1,600.
“There is a resource gap of approximately 1.4 million doctors and 2.8 million nurses. Hospital bed density in India is significantly short of WHO guidelines of 3.511 per 1,000 patients. Collective will is required to limit preventable tobacco-induced diseases and save our medical resources for more genuine needs,” he added.

He, urged the parties to focus on strict implementation of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), complete ban on sale of drugs and tobacco products around educational institutions, rehabilitation of tobacco farmers, and supporting and encouraging them to take up alternate cropping.

*Dr. Naresh Purohit-MD, DNB, DIH, MHA, MRCP(UK), is an Epidemiologist, Advisor-National Communicable Disease Control Program of Govt. of India, Madhya Pradesh and several state organizations.)  He  is also Principal Investigator for the Association of Studies For Kidney Care.

Dr. Purohit, is also Advisor- National Tobacco Control Programme.