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Monday, May 31, 2010 (18:29:50) |
| Tags : Delhi, Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, Tobacco |
Delhi CM launches a website to help people quit smoking |
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| New Delhi, May 31: Delhi Government is committed to make Delhi a Tobacco Free City before the Commonwealth Games 2010 and to translate this commitment into action a number of initiatives have been taken by the Government. This was stated by Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit on the occasion of Observing of "World No Tobacco Day" in a function organized by the Directorate of Health Services at Delhi Secretariat today.
Smt. Dikshit launched an integrated community based pilot project on tobacco Control to tell the people about ill effects of tobacco and also to make treatment accessible to people through participation of NGOs namely Public Health Foundation of India & Voluntary Health Association of India, Chronic Care Foundation (CCF), St. Stephens's Community Health Centre, and one Pharma Company Pfizer Limited and Delhi Medical Association. The Institute of Human behavior & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) will be the coordinating agency. Smt. Dikshit said that the pilot project, in first phase will be started in five areas of East and South Delhi namely, Sunder Nagri, Nand Nagari, Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Park and Hauz Khas.
Smt. Dikshit informed that these organizations will make the community aware about the ill effects of tobacco and tobacco products, will work for capacity building of health workers and providers by imparting training to community workers and ASHA workers and also train the medical doctors working in the community. These NGOs in collaboration with the Government will arrange for counseling of Tobacco users through field level community workers apart from providing them pharmacological support.
On this occasion, Smt. Dikshit also launched a website smokefreedelhi.org for extending help to the people quit tobacco and tobacco products. She said that currently 1.5 million people die every year globally from tobacco use, out of which 1.2 million die in the South-East Asia Region alone. With an estimated 120 million smokers in India, the annual deaths from smoking are expected to rise to 1 million during 2010. Women comprise about 20% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers. It is alarming and has become point of concern for all of us.
The Minister of Health Prof. Kiran Walia said on this occasion that the smoke free Delhi initiative is being executed in the shape of a project within the stipulated time frame. The project will be implemented in organization with Bloomberg Initiative. The smoke free Delhi means that everyone is protected in Delhi from hazards of tobacco smoke in all public places including the auditoria, hospitals buildings, railway waiting rooms, amusements centres, restaurants, public offices, court buildings, educational institutions, libraries, public conveniences and the like which are visited by general public.
Prof. Walia informed that the government has identified designated officers from Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Ministry of HRD, Ministry of Agriculture, DMRC, DTC, MCD, NDMC, Army College of Medical Science, Public Health Foundation of India, National Restaurant Association of India, DLSA, DMA etc. for implementation and compliance of smoke free rules within their respective jurisdictions. She informed 97153 public places were raided, 18957 persons were fined for smoking in public and 1495 tobacco vendors were fined by the Government and a sum of Rs. 1675240 was realized from the violators. |
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