January 30, 2008
40 per cent men and 8 per cent women in Pakistan are regular smokers
“As many as forty per cent men and eight per cent women in Pakistan smoke regularly,” Professor Javaid Khan, Consultant Pulmonologist and Head Section of Pulmonary Medicine, Aga Khan University (AKU) shared the findings of a survey at a Continued Medical Education seminar at the University in Karachi. While tobacco use is declining in most other countries of the world, sadly it is on the rise in Pakistan. “If we don’t take any action, the current global death toll of five million per year from tobacco use will increase to 10 million per year by 2025. In Pakistan, estimated 100,000 people die every year from Tobacco related diseases,” he warned.
Educating the public on tobacco and its hazards is the first step for tobacco control in any country but unfortunately marketing and advertising budget of tobacco companies in Pakistan is far greater than the total budget on health promotion by the Government of Pakistan.
Dr Muhammad Irfan, Consultant Pulmonologist, AKU said that tobacco advertising has been shown to have strong influence on children and teenagers. Most countries have completely banned tobacco advertising in order to discourage the youth from taking up smoking. He said that tobacco dependence is generally under treated. People trying to quit should use medications in conjunction with as much counseling as possible.