A number of leading oncologists, cancer patients and their family members united to fight against the tobacco menace in the city on Wednesday and urged Public Health and Family Welfare Dept and Food Safety, to implement the FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority of India)2.3.4 in the state.
Several national level organisations, specially the VHAI and VoTV are supporting this cause.
Speaking on the occasion, Praveen Prakash, commissioner, Public Health and Family Welfare Dept and Food Safety said, “The government will set up a three member committee, which will frame an effective implementation plan. We will also talk to the Union Government and the neighbouring states to implement the Act simultaneously.”
He opined that it was time for the government to go one step forward and ban such products by implementing the law than issuing warning message on the packets.
Dr P Vijay Anand Reddy, director, Apollo Cancer Hospitals, quoting the recently released Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)- India Report 2009-10 said, out of the total 29.2 per cent adult tobacco users in the state of Andhra Pradesh, 11.8 per cent use smokeless form of tobacco and 3.3 per cent use both smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco.
Shockingly, usage of smokeless (gutka and pan masala) is also quite high among women as compared to its our neighbouring States.
Out of 18.8 per cent adult women tobacco users in Andhra Pradesh, 13.1 per cent are consumers of smokeless form and 1.4 per cent use both smoked and smokeless form of tobacco Dr Kannan, director, MNJ Institute of Oncology & RCC; Dr Ashwin M Shah, director, Oncology, Kamineni Hospitals; Dr Kishore Mogulluru, M.P.H., state consultant-NTCP, WHO-MOHFW Initiative, Directorate of Health and Seema Gupta, regional director, Voluntary Health Association of India, New Delhi were also present.
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