Bhubaneswar: In deference to the directives issued by the Union Ministry of Education, many institutions here Monday observed ‘World No Tobacco Day’, virtually, with this year’s theme – Commit to Quit- which assumes significance in this pandemic era.
On this occasion, the Central University of Odisha organised a webinar on ‘World No Tobacco Day’ where a pledge was taken by the students, and teaching & non-teaching staff.
The guests also administered the pledge in Hindi and English and elaborated on the hazards of tobacco use.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof I Ramabrahmam, called upon the varsity community to quit tobacco for a healthy life. Prof Sharat Kumar Palita, Dean, School of Biodiversity and Conservation of Natural Resources, presided over the virtual meeting and delivered the welcome address.
Ritu Duggal, Professor and Chief of Centre for Dental Education & Research, AIIMS, New Delhi, termed tobacco as a silent killer. She said, “Habit of tobacco changes into behaviour and behaviour later becomes an addiction. This addiction can affect the entire family. So, this is the right time to quit tobacco.” She stated that it needs to start from you (the individual), for a change not to use tobacco and thereby spreading the message of change to the world. Be positive, focused and be in good health by quitting tobacco.
KVV Prasad, Professor, Department of Public Health Dentistry, SDM College of Dental Science and Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, highlighted the effects of tobacco by citing statistical data on mortality rates all over the world due to consumption of tobacco.
Prasad said, “Smoking or chewing tobacco affects our skin, face, memory power, strength, mind, heart, lungs, blood pressure and it reduces blood cell count, blood vessels apart from creating a number of bad effects. It slowly develops cancerous cells in the body. To live a long and disease-free life, one has to give up tobacco.”
He also pointed out that consumption of tobacco could be more hazardous for women than men and suggested for proper education from school level to university level on the repercussions of tobacco use.
Meanwhile, Institute of Dental Sciences, SOA University, also organised a webinar on ‘Commit to Quit: A 369-degree approach to tobacco cessation’ for dental professionals. Many students participated in the webinar and showcased their short films on awareness about debilitating impact of tobacco on human health. They also prepared posters on the theme.
The Sum Hospital here too organised a webinar wherein experts said quitting tobacco becomes challenging due to its addictive properties. “So, don’t shy away from seeking support of family members and friends or joining smoking cessation programs,” they said.
Chinmaya Pani, Medical Oncologist, Apollo Cancer Centre, Bhubaneswar, said almost one-third of cancer cases in India are caused by tobacco.
PNN
