AKUH's Seminar on World No Tobacco Day

Smoking is cause of over 90 per cent cases of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

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Speakers at a seminar on World No-Tobacco Day on May 31, 2007, organised by Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) were unanimous in their demand for strict enforcement of the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smoker Ordinance of 2002. Smoking was deemed the single largest preventable cause of death in Pakistan. The focus of this year’s commemoration by the World Health Organization calls attention to the need for creating a smoke-free environment.  The US Surgeon General’s report highlights the dangers of  Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) which has been found to cause premature death and disease in children and non-smoking adults and is further proven to cause other serious diseases.

Professor Dr Javaid Khan, Head of the Pulmonary Section at AKUH and President Pakistan Chest Society (Sindh) drew attention to the multinational tobacco companies who are openly flouting the Ordinance in defiance of Supreme Court directives and use “all possible means to make the Pakistani public addicted to tobacco”. Professor Khan said that smoking causes over 90 per cent Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease cases, whose treatment is very difficult, with most patients ending up with respiratory failure. Referring to an Aga Khan University (AKU) study he revealed that ‘shisha’ use is prevalent among students from affluent backgrounds: the majority of users and even parents unfortunately perceive this activity as being only mildly tobacco-based and thus un-harmful.

Dr Nadeem Rizvi, Head Department of Chest Diseases at JPMC said that as a result of aggressive marketing, “an estimated 1,500 children are taking up smoking everyday in Pakistan.” He urged pro-active measures by city governments in terms of removing tobacco related signboards from shops and for a youth education campaign in educational institutions. He also called for a sponsorship ban on sporting and other events.

Speaking on nicotine withdrawal symptoms, Dr Suleman Haque, Consultant Chest Physician at AKUH,  pointed out that these only last for a couple of weeks, and dismissed the notion of countering stress through smoking. He referred to recent research at University College London which proved that stress levels start decreasing after the initial few days of quitting.

Head and Neck surgeon at AKUH, Dr Shehzad Ghaffar reported on tobacco use in the form of ‘gutka’ and ‘pan masala’ and warned that there is an increasing trend amongst children, with all the resultant dangers this causes. He said that “Pakistan currently tops the list in the incidence of oral cancer.”

A video demonstrated that tobacco is the first step towards other addictions and must be controlled at all costs.  Popular writer and artiste Ms Fatimah Surayya Bajya, who herself had been a user of non-smoking tobacco products, appealed for an end of all such products.

Ms Humaira Waheed, Senior Nurse at AKUH, suggested making all public places and public transport smoke-free by strict enforcement of the Anti Tobacco Ordinance. 

A scholar from the Quran Academy, Engineer Naveed Ahmad, pointed out that Islamic teachings in effect forbid smoking and other forms of tobacco use, reiterating scientific confirmation on the serious harm to passive smokers through release of toxins from smoking.

According to AKUH’s Consultant Cardiologist Dr Aamir Hameed, sheer will-power, modern medication and counseling can enable most patients to kick the habit altogether.

This programme was part of AKU’s Continuing Medical Education seminars and workshops for community physicians. The objective is to provide current, practical updates on the management of medical problems faced by primary care physicians and specialists.

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