ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP):Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and its partners on Thursday have called upon the federal and provincial governments to ensure effective and accessible cessation services for adult smokers in districts, tehsils and union councils across Pakistan.
“Adult smokers who have been unable to quit smoking need a helping hand. Helping them in quitting is critical to end combustible smoking in Pakistan,” said Arshad Ali Syed, project director of ARI, in a statement on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). He added that the national quit line should not only be publicized extensively but its services need drastic improvement.
However, he emphasized the role of provincial governments in providing cessation services at the district level. After the 18th amendment, health is a provincial subject, he said. “Provincial governments should reach adult smoker in districts, tehsils, and union councils, especially those who have been unable to quit despite multiple attempts.”
The benefits of quitting smoking are immediate and lifelong. The day a smoker gives up this habit, the body starts clearing itself of all those nasty toxins and the repair process begins. According to WHO, within 20 minutes of cessation, heart rate and blood pressure drop, and after 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal. In 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease, as the risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker’s in a year. The risk of stroke is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
Arshad said the federal and provincial governments need to expand the cessation choices for adult smokers. He said the UK’s NHS has included in its cessation aids NRTs, nicotine vapes, nicotine pouches, and prescription-only medicines. “Pakistan needs to carefully examine the available options and sensibly regulate them for adult smokers.”
Almost two decades on after ratifying the FCTC in 2005, Pakistan is facing an uphill task in controlling the use of tobacco. Today the country has 31 million tobacco users. Tobacco is consumed in 45.5% of the households, more in poor (48.8%) than in rich (37.9%) households. The majority of these users are smokers. With little or no smoking cessation services available, smokers are on their own in their quit attempts. Less than 3% smokers successfully quit smoking in a year in Pakistan.
He said ARI and its partners support all official measures against tobacco control in Pakistan. “We support all efforts to keep the young and never-smokers away from any sort of tobacco, including the reduced risk products.”
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