Workshops & Programmes WHAT'S NEW - SHANhriday-shan.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MAADHYAM-4.pdfstudy on the positive correlation between exposure to tobacco advertising and increased

Vol. 4 Jan - March, 2011

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Workshops & Programmes

Global Tobacco Control Updates

Next quarter, Maadhyam completes one year in circulation. Over the past year, the primary aim of the newsletter has been to collate resources and inform tobacco control professionals at the grassroots, local, regional, national and international levels about various developments in the field of tobacco control, particularly in India as well as world over.

With constructive suggestions and feedback from our readers, Maadhyam's earlier issues have been well received. We envision that future issues will be successful in meeting our primary objective of disseminating information about tobacco control, even to those who do not have direct access to the same. This endeavour cannot be achieved without the support of all partners and stakeholders.

We have enclosed a feedback form with this issue, which we request you to complete. This will be extremely beneficial in evaluating our previous efforts and will guide our future efforts to make upcoming issues of Maadhyam successful. Please return the completed forms by post (envelopes enclosed)/email.

WHAT'S NEW

The year 2011 will prove very crucial for the global tobacco control movement. With the growing burden of the tobacco epidemic, which kills 5.4 million people every year, public health experts from various countries across the world have been rallying relentlessly to bring tobacco control onto the global platform. Under the guidance of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first global public health treaty, Parties to the Convention are in the process of formulating tobacco control policies and strategies that will help reduce the burden of tobacco use. However, effective enforcement and tobacco industry interference remain the biggest challenges.

Findings from the United States' new Surgeon General Report, “How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease” announced on December 9, 2010, have revealed that that there is no risk-free level of exposure to tobacco smoke, validating that first-time or low level of exposure to tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke causes acute cardiovascular conditions. The report demonstrates that tobacco smoke is a mix of more than 7,000 chemicals of which hundreds are poisonous and more than 70 cause cancer and other adverse health outcomes, cardiovas-cular and pulmonary diseases including DNA damage.

As scientific evidence on the disease burden of tobacco use rises, national and international organizations working in the field of tobacco control have been working towards including the issue in the global agenda of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The United Nations NCD Summit will be held in September 2011. International institutions like the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO) have already recognized tobacco control measures as an important tool for growth and development in low and middle income countries (LMICs). This edition of Maadhyam provides an account of some of the major developments on this front.

With the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India Report 2010 estimating nearly 164 million users of only smokeless forms of tobacco, and a report demonstrating the severe health effects of tobacco products like gutkha, pan masala, betel quid and areca nut compiled under the direction of the Supreme Court in the Ankur Gutkha case, by an Experts Committee (details inside), the issue of smokeless tobacco has gained immense prominence in the country. Under the same case, plastic packaging of gutkha packets has been banned from March 2011. A top-level consultation of government officials, national and international experts on smokeless tobacco, and civil society groups is scheduled to be held in the first week in April, in order to take cognizance of the current scenario of the burden of smokeless tobacco in India, the legislative and legal setup and next steps in developing strong policy frameworks to ensure effective enforcement of tobacco control strategies.

This fourth issue of Maadhyam also includes a number of legal and political developments in tobacco control along with successful advocacy efforts by the Indian tobacco control fraternity over the past quarter.

The tobacco control fraternity protests against prestigious civilian award for ITC Ltd. Head

Organisations working in the field of tobacco control protested against the conferral of the Padma Bhushan to Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar, Chairman of tobacco giant, ITC Ltd. The Indian Government had announced nominations for Padma Awards 2011, the prestigious Indian civilian awards for contributions to the public sphere, on the

ndeve of the 62 Republic Day (January 26, 2011). Tobacco control organizations have regarded this move as a huge setback to India's tobacco control movement, demonstrating the tobacco industry's proximity to the Government and disregard for Article 5.3 of FCTC. HRIDAY wrote to the Chairman of the Padma Awards Committee (Ministry of Home Affairs) expressing dismay over the nomination and urging the group to exclude the ITC honcho from the list. Deveshwar was awarded the Padma Bhushan on account of invaluable contribution to the agrarian economy and sustainable livelihood in India.

Tobacco control organisations stop tobacco industry tactics targeted at school children

Tobacco control organisations in Tamil Nadu along with support from organisations across the country have been successful in halting the efforts of Indian tobacco giant ITC Ltd. to associate itself with school going youth, foreseen as potential tobacco users. Under the aegis of its snack foods brand Sunfeast, ITC Ltd. was set to host the 'Sunfeast Milky Magic

th thAll Rounder' competition for Classes 4 -9 beginning January 28, 2011 in 10 cities across Tamil Nadu, reaching nearly 500 schools in the state. The winners of the three-level competition, to be held at the district, city and state levels would be portrayed as brand ambassadors for ITC products, thereby building a positive image for the tobacco company. Written representations were made by tobacco control organizations including HRIDAY and Mary Anne Charity Trust (MACT), to various senior officials at the Tamil Nadu Education Department including the Director of School Education citing evidence from HRIDAY's MYTRI (Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco Related Initiatives in India) study on the positive correlation between exposure to tobacco advertising and increased tobacco use among youth.

Smoke-free Ernakulam: a step towards smoke-free legislation

On January 31, 2011, the district administration of Ernakulam, Kerala declared two major beaches, Fort Cochi and Cherai smoke-free, making them India's first smoke-free beaches. Along with other parts of the district, the office also enforced the smoke-free legislation on the Cochin Marine Drive, making it the first marine drive, world over, to be declared smoke-free. Organisations like Kerala Voluntary Health Services (KVHS), with technical support from The Union have been rallying for such a smoke-free initiative for nearly a year. A four-km long human chain of nearly 6000 people had been formed in the city on the day of the declaration.

ndThe 62 Republic Day gets a dose of healthy living

This year, the Republic Day parade included a colourful and vibrant tableau depicting 'healthy living'. Conceptualised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), GOI, with technical support from the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and HRIDAY, the float was a montage of images that represent different facets of public health, including healthy diet and nutrition, components of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the Government's polio eradication campaign. Owing to India's growing tobacco burden, a significant part of the float was dedicated to tobacco control, with pictorial messages like 'no smoking' and 'say no to gutkha'.

Source: Mary Anne Charity Trust (MACT)

Source: Press Information Bureau

Source: KVHS

Tobacco control awareness drive among college students

HRIDAY's global youth health movement, Youth for Health (Y4H) participated in the Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology (NSIT) annual cultural fest, Moksha 2011 held from March 16-18, 2011 in Delhi. The primary objective was to raise awareness about the health hazards of tobacco use and the role of youth in advocating for health policies that reduce the burden of the tobacco epidemic. Hundreds of youth joined the Y4H initiative to protect fellow citizens of the country from the harmful effects of tobacco use and agreed for working as coalitions and building student groups to advocate for a tobacco-free campus. For details, visit www.facebook.com/youthforhealth

Cancer victims conceptualise a series of events to raise their voice against tobacco use

A series of public events titled 'Voices of Victims' (VOV) between February and March 2011 were conceptualised by cancer victims to raise awareness about the dangerous health effects of tobacco use. Organised by Action Council Against Tobacco (ACT India), Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Salaam Bombay Foundation and Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), the events witnessed the cancer victims and their families share their experiences on fighting the health consequences of tobacco use and urge the Government to undertake stronger implementation of tobacco control laws, at a gathering of various government officials, NGOs and media. The first of the series of VOVs, held on February 11, 2011, was attended by Shri Dinesh Trivedi, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare as Chief Guest and the Union Coal Minister Shri Prakash Jaiswal as Guest of Honour.

The second event, held on March 17, 2011 was attended by Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Member of Parliament (MP) and Leader of the Opposition and other Parliamentarians. Victims of oral cancer urged all the dignitaries present to take urgent steps to ensure a ban on the sale of gutkha and pan masala products in the country. The victims and their families also presented a Charter of their demands to Smt. Swaraj and other MPs, requesting them to show their commitment towards a healthier India by banning gutkha, increasing taxation on all tobacco products and implementing policies and programmes that reflect the demands of the victims of chewing tobacco. The Chew On This website ( was launched with the objective of disseminating messages about the harmful health effects of chewing tobacco amongst youth.

www.chewonthis.in)

Speakers at Voices of VictimsSource: Resource Centre for Tobacco-Free India, VHAI

Legal Updates

Mahesh Bhatt Vs Union of India (UOI) -Under Article 226 of the Constitution before Delhi High Court (WP filed on September 24, 2005)

Well known writer, producer and director of Bollywood films, Mahesh Bhatt, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the ban of indirect advertisements of tobacco products in movies and television serials. The Delhi High Court in its judgment struck down the Centre's notification which bans smoking scenes in films, saying onscreen smoking was part of an artist's creative license and allowed indirect advertising in the print media, saying that films and print media cannot be classified differently. This judgment was announced after a two-judge bench had given a split verdict February 7, 2008 in a petition by The Hindu newspaper and film director Mahesh Bhatt challenging the curbs imposed by the government. Against the order passed by the Delhi High Court, UOI filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. The writ petition in appeal was filed by UOI in the Supreme Court in March 2009. In this case, Supreme Court by an order dated April 2, 2009 put an interim stay on the impugned orders of the High Court of Delhi till further date.

The implications of this Appeal are that UOI is urging the SC to pave way for the Rules which impose a ban on display of tobacco products or their use in cinema and television programmes. The MoHFW is deliberating on the 'Rules' with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to ensure that the objections raised by MIB can be settled to finalise the Rules in favour of public interest. The case is subjudice before SC till the next hearing, due on September 9, 2011.

Experts Committee constituted after Apex Court ordered report on harmful effects of smokeless tobacco

The Supreme Court in a landmark interim order in the Ankur Gutkha case, on December 7, 2010, had directed gutkha manufactures against using plastic for gutkha sachet packaging and directed the Central Government to undertake a comprehensive analysis and study of the contents of gutkha, tobacco, pan masala and similar articles manufactured in the country, and harmful effects of consumption of such articles. The National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) was asked by MoHFW to compile the national and international evidence on the issue. For this, a committee of technical experts was constituted to provide guidance on technical issues and help in collecting relevant scientific literature. The members of the Committee included Dr. K. Srinath Reddy (Public Health Foundation of India), Dr. P.C. Gupta (Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health), Dr. Kishore Chaudhry (Indian Council of Medical Research), Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi (Tata Memorial Hospital), Dr. Naseem Shah (All India Institute of Medical Sciences), Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi (Dept. of Community Medicine, Delhi University) and Dr. Deoki Nandan (NIHFW). The Committee was also supported by a core group of experts including Dr. Jagdish Kaur, Chief Medical Officer, MoHFW and Dr. Monika Arora (PHFI) among others.

The experts have authored a two-part Report containing an analysis of the scientific literature available on contents of gutkha, tobacco, pan masala and similar articles manufactured in the country, and harmful effects of consumption of such articles; and an analysis of the scientific literature on the harmful effects of consumption of Areca Nut or Betel Quid or Supari. Dr. Poonam Khattar and Dr. Rajesh Khanna of NIHFW as key personnel in the process, were instrumental in compiling the Report. In addition to the scientific literature, the Report also contains letters from Directors of various Regional Cancer Centers of the country recommending the prohibition of use of chewing tobacco products. Most of the relevant studies identified were from India, Sweden and USA with studies from India making the biggest contribution. The Report highlights strong and consistent evidence from a number of studies to indicate significant risk of cancers, which increases with the dosage and frequency of smokeless tobacco use. For Areca Nut and Betel Quid, majority of the identified studies were conducted in India and Taiwan. Results from multiple studies show strong and consistent evidence suggestive of Areca/Betel Nut being a significant risk factor for the development of cancers.

With inputs from MoHFW

The Apex Court has sought a ban on the sale of tobacco products like gutkha and pan masala in plastic pouches from March 2011.

In January, member organisations of the Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control (AFTC), a coalition of 65 tobacco control organizations, participated in a letter campaign, addressed to the Prime Minister of India, expressing grave concern over the increasing gutkha menace in the country. Citing the recently released Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India report, which estimates the incidence of oral cancer in India as high as 30 percent, the letters urged the Indian Government to ensure that harmful tobacco products do not escape the mandate of the Indian tobacco control law.

Global Tobacco Control Updates

World No Tobacco Day 2011 theme announced

In January this year, WHO announced 'WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)' as the theme for World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2011, to be

stobserved on May 31 . FCTC is the world's first public health treaty, which has been ratified by 172 countries representing nearly 87 percent of the world's population. This year's theme aims to emphasise the overall importance of the FCTC and the obligations of Parties to the treaty. Under the guidance of WHO, the year will be dedicated to campaigning for effective implementation of FCTC in all member states in order to protect present and future generations from the hazardous health, social, economic and environmental consequences of tobacco use. Each year on WNTD, Governments and civil society groups work in collaboration to generate awareness about the importance of tobacco control in the growth and development of nations. WHO has already released a poster to convey the theme of WNTD 2011.

WNTD 2011 poster

Source: WHO

Tobacco control high on the global agenda to fight the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

Tobacco use has been recognised as a common risk factor for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases, particularly in low and middle income countries. With the growing disease burden, civil society groups and public health experts in these countries, in tandem with Governments, have scaled up efforts to identify institutional issues involved at the policy level and develop key action points to address NCDs. Within these efforts, tobacco control has been identified as a key contributor on the road to development and tobacco control organisations have been rallying to bring the issue to global platforms ahead of the United Nations NCD Summit in September 2011.

On February 9, 2011, a strategic discussion on 'Capitalizing on the Demographic Transition: Tackling Non-Communicable Diseases in South Asia' was organized at the World Bank office in New Delhi via video conferencing. Among other concerns, the cross-regional discussion attended by government officials, public health experts and World Bank officials, highlighted tobacco use, both smoking and non-smoking, as a major risk factor in the South Asian region comprising of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The group concluded that more aggressive tobacco control efforts in tackling NCDs, which includes higher tobacco taxes are imperative.

In end February, following increased pressure from the NCD Alliance and Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) (an alliance of over 350 organisations worldwide working on FCTC) by way of letters written by country partners to Heads of Governments, the UN has decided to constitute a Civil Society Task Force for the NCD Summit.

Beginning March 1, 2011, a three-day 'Regional Meeting on Health and Development Challenges of NCDs' was held in Jakarta, Indonesia under the aegis of World Health Organization – Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO). The primary objectives of the meeting included information sharing on the burden of NCDs in South Asia, review of programmes on disease control and prevention in member countries and regional contribution to the UN NCD Summit in September. The event was attended by government focal points, NGOs, academics, research institutes and public health and tobacco control experts including Dr. Monika Arora (HRIDAY, PHFI) and Ms. Shoba John (FCA). Recognising NCDs as the leading cause of death in the region, the meeting concluded with the 'Jakarta Call for Action on Non-Communicable Diseases'. Among other health concerns, the Jakarta Call for Action urged Governments to mobilize a multi-sectoral approach to develop national action plans to fight NCDs, including effective implementation of FCTC. The draft also urged the development and enforcement of evidence-based legislation, regulation and fiscal measures to curb tobacco use. View entire document

To escalate these efforts, the first global ministerial conference on healthy lifestyles and NCD control is being organized by WHO and the Russian Federation on April 28-29, 2011 in Moscow. It is anticipated that the Health Ministers' NCD conference will prove a crucial step in placing the issue of NCDs, especially tobacco control on the global platform.

(http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Non_ Communicable_ Diseases_Jakarta.pdf)

Importance of tobacco control highlighted on International Women's Day

thThe WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan's speech on the occasion of the 100 International Women's Day on March 8, 2011 emphasized on the need to focus on women's and children's health in order to address some long-standing developmental problems. While honouring the progress made by women over the last century, she highlighted the trend of present day unethical marketing strategies that take advantage of the rising status of women by citing the example of Virginia Slims, a Philip Morris brand, promoted as a product of empowerment. The latest issue of the Bulletin of the WHO includes a research study that positively links female empowerment to increased prevalence of smoking among females. In her concluding remarks, Dr. Chan stressed on the importance of FCTC as a global tool to counter the moves of 'Big Tobacco' especially in countries where women are being increasingly emancipated.

Participants at the Regional Meeting on Health and Development Challenges of NCDs

Source: WHO

A socio-political account of developments on the issue of pictorial health warnings in India

A comprehensive narrative on various political, social and legal developments in the area of pictorial health warnings in India compiled by HRIDAY has been published in the latest issue of The National Medical Journal of India. The account traces the historical background of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages in India, including the insertion of this provision in India's tobacco control framework, the challenges faced by the Indian Government, tobacco industry tactics and various evidence-based, political and legal advocacy efforts undertaken by civil society groups in seeking effective implementation of health warnings on all tobacco product packages sold in India.

The essay provides a critical analysis on the current national tobacco control legislation; the need for a public health policy in India, given India's rising burden of tobacco use along with suggestions for the way forward in ensuring implementation of strong and effective pictorial health warnings in India. The narrative identifies the efficacy of creative communication and advocacy and need for collective consensus among all stakeholders in addressing the issue of pictorial health warnings.

Refer Arora M and Yadav A, Pictorial Health Warnings on tobacco products in India: Sociopolitical and legal developments, The National Medical Journal of India, Vol. 23, No. 6, 2010: 357-359.

An paper, published in the journal Health Education & Behavior, on how Project MYTRI (Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco Related Initiatives in India), a multiple-component, school-based tobacco use prevention intervention for 6th-9th graders in Delhi and Chennai, successfully conducted by HRIDAY in collaboration with the University of Texas, achieved its effects, has found that changes in the students' knowledge about the health hazards of tobacco use is crucial to reduce tobacco use behaviour among them. Students' beliefs about the social consequences of using tobacco, reasons to use tobacco, reasons to not use tobacco, advocacy skills self-efficacy and normative beliefs about tobacco use are identified as being significantly associated with reduced intentions of tobacco use by the students. Through a meditational analysis on how the intervention achieved its results, the paper concludes that 'increasing knowledge about negative health and social consequences of tobacco use is important' among other mediators and can prove beneficial upon integration into tobacco interventions in India.

Refer Stigler et al, A Mediational Analysis of a Tobacco Prevention Program for Adolescents in India: How did Project MYTRI Work? Health Education & Behavior, published online before print March 16, 2011, doi:10.1177/1090198110372330

A st u d y a i m e d to measure worldwide exposure to Second-Hand Smoke (SHS) and subsequent burden of disease on children and adult non-smokers in 192 countries in 2004 has found that 40 percent children, 33 percent of males and 35 percent of females were exposed to SHS. The study, which used a comparative risk assessment method to estimate the figures, found that nearly 603,000 deaths from diseases including ischaemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, asthma and lung cancer, in 2004, were attributable to exposure to secondhand smoke amounting to 1 percent of worldwide mortality. Of this, female deaths accounted for a startling 47 percent and an estimated 165,000 children die due to lower respiratory infections caused by SHS. Overall, the study concludes that tobacco smoke leads to grave avoidable mortality and effective public health and clinical interventions are required to reduce the incidence of passive smoking world over.

Refer Oberg et al, Worldwide burden of disease from exposure to secondhand smoke: A retrospective analysis of data from 192 countries, The Lancet, 2011; 377: 139-49

Tobacco

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TOBACCO KILLS

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Fig 1. Pictorial warnings as notified in 2006

Fig 2. Pictorial warnings notified after the amendment of theCigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 in 2007

For Smoking Forms For Smokeless Forms

Publications

Evidence for the dangerous health hazards of Second-Hand Smoke (SHS) mounts world over

Increased knowledge about ill-effects of tobacco use key to reduce tobacco use behavior among youth

Tobacco use is making Indians poorer

A research study aimed at quantifying the impact of tobacco use and subsequent healthcare costs on poverty in India, where the most vulnerable segments of the population are heavily burdened by tobacco related mortality and morbidity. The tobacco and healthcare expenditures were deducted from the monthly household income to attain the household disposable income. This method indicated that direct expenditure on tobacco would increase the rural poverty rate by 1.5 %, affecting 11.8 million people and the urban poverty rate by 0.72 %, affecting 2.3 million people. In a startling conclusion, the study estimates that 'tobacco consumption impoverishes roughly 15 million people in India', thereby suggesting that tobacco control measures can help reduce poverty in the country. The paper also recommends the regulation of tobacco use through higher taxes, which dispenses money for consumption of essential goods and services instead of tobacco products. Reduced tobacco consumption improves the overall health of the family, decreases the likelihood of spending on healthcare costs and enhances labour productivity and earning potential of the family.

Refer John et al, Counting 15 million more poor in India, thanks to tobacco, Tobacco Control, published online February 3, 2011, doi:10.1136/tc.2010.040089

Series of tobacco control sensitization workshops for law enforcers and NGO personnel

A series of district level sensitization workshops on tobacco control have been conducted as part of the 'Awareness to Action through Multi-Channel Advocacy for Effective Tobacco Control in India: Capacity Building in Five Indian States' project of HRIDAY along with their NGO partners. Hosted between January and March in various districts of the states of Uttarakhand, Bihar and Haryana, the primary objective of these workshops is to generate awareness about various facets of tobacco control among district level functionaries including the police, food and drug administration, school officials, media persons and NGOs for effective enforcement of tobacco control laws at the district level. The workshops are particularly aimed at sensitising law enforcement agencies at the district level in areas such as preparedness and enforcement action plans to implement the tobacco control laws. The workshops helped enhance competencies amongst key personnel in the districts and broad base enforcement mechanism on the tobacco control law. Nearly 350 law enforcers, 260 NGO personnel and 50 media persons were trained in the 3 states. IEC materials on the tobacco control law and civil society advocacy have been developed for the workshops. Along with resource persons from HRIDAY, various experts were invited to speak on topics that included tobacco control laws, health and environmental hazards of tobacco, the National Tobacco Control Programme and role of various stakeholders.

Tobacco control training for Civil Judges

An advocacy training working was conducted for Civil Judges at the Delhi Judicial Academy, an autonomous body under the Delhi High Court on January 31, 2011. The objective of the training session was to sensitize Judges about various facets of tobacco control in India. The Academy has recently included tobacco control into its training curriculum for Judicial Officers from the Delhi Judicial Service. The workshop included sessions of ill-effects of tobacco use, SHS, FCTC, tobacco control laws and mock trials on violations. Legal Officer, Deepti Singh, from HRIDAY attended the training as resource person.

Training of NTCP Programme Managers 2010 – 2011

The Union South-East Asia hosted three training workshops in the cities of Hyderabad, Pune and Bhubaneswar, for 20 state officials of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) between December 2010 and January 2011. The primary objectives of the training included the following:

=To increase and improve capacity to plan, implement, supervise and monitor the NTCP in pilot states and districts

=To provide core content on tobacco control including FCTC, MPOWER policy package and COTPA

=Share best practices from implementing states and districts and; develop action plans to implement NTCP and effectively enforce Sections 4,5,6 and 7 of COTPA

The workshop included a mix of expert presentations, experience sharing of progress and challenges from states, group work, and role play.

Contributed by The UNION

Participants at NTCP programme managers' workshop

Contact us:

We would be happy to receive feedback on this initiative. Please e-mail your comments/suggestions to Ms. Manjusha Chatterjee or Mr. Nikunj Sharma . If there is a tobacco control event that you are planning

to organize or have any other updates, please share them with us for inclusion in future editions. Remember – this newsletter is based on your inputs.

([email protected]) ([email protected])

Next Issue: Highlights

Workshop on advancing the School Health component of NTCP

The State Tobacco Control Cell, GNCT of Delhi organised training workshops for medical officers and other competent authorities under COTPA and for Public Health Nurses and Pharmacists involved in School Health Scheme on February 15, 2011 and February 24, 2011 respectively. These workshops presented an overview of the role of enforcement authorities under COTPA and elucidated the need for adoption of a Tobacco-Free policy for schools in the capital region keeping with the school health component under NTCP.

The participants were invited to share their practical experiences on implementation of smokefree laws and ban on sale to and by minors or sale within 100 yards of educational institution as prescribed under COTPA (Section 4 and Section 6). Mr. Amit Yadav, Legal Consultant, Public Health Foundation of India, discussed the tobacco control laws in depth and provided explanations on practical issues related to implementation of the laws, raised during the workshops. Dr. R.P. Vashist, State Tobacco Officer, GNCT of Delhi highlighted guidelines to facilitate the implementation of tobacco control laws and in particular, promote tobacco-free schools to protect the present and future generations from exposure to tobacco.

l

l

lWorkshops and Programmes

National Consultation on smokeless tobacco organized by MoHFW, PHFI, WHO

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2011 events and successes

Please report violations under the Indian tobacco control law at the National Tobacco Control Helpline: 1800-11-0456

National seminar to disseminate GATS 2009-2010 India data

A seminar titled 'National Dissemination of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) India, 2009-10' was organised by International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai and MoHFW on February 11, 2011 at the Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Jaipur to discuss and deliberate on GATS India findings, released in October 2010 by MoHFW. The aim of the event was to discuss methods of translating the data into tobacco control strategies and policies.

The seminar was inaugurated by the Dr. Gupta, Director, IIHMR along with other key dignitaries from MoHFW and IIPS. The seminar was attended by over 100 stakeholders from various government departments including the departments of Health, Economics, Mental Hospital, Tobacco Board, Municipal Corporation of Jaipur, and the Controller, Drugs. Others included representatives from the Indian Psychiatric Society, Immunization Consultant, State Institute of Health& Family Welfare, State Focal Points for Tobacco Control, State Consultant for tobacco control, Pediatric Association, State/District Staff under National Tobacco Control Programme, IIHMR, IIPS, Tobacco Cessation Centre (Jodhpur) and Delhi, Jaipur Doordarshan, and civil society groups. The Health Ministry is in the process of planning regional level dissemination workshops on the GATS India data along with developing regional factsheets.

With inputs from MoHFW

Speakers at the national dissemination seminar