E-Paper
Doctors want 85% pictorial warning on tobacco, appeal against HC order
About 38-62.1% cigarette smokers, 29.3- 54% bidi smokers and 34-46% tobacco users considered quitting due to the pictorial warnings.
Ten medical associations and 453 doctors have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the Karnataka high court (HC) order to repeal the rule stating that 85% of tobacco product packaging should contain pictorial warning. The rule has been in effect for almost two years and has proved to be very effective, said doctors.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017, about 38-62.1% cigarette smokers, 29.3- 54% bidi smokers and 34-46% tobacco users considered quitting due to the warnings. Indian oncologists claim if the move is implemented, India’s will drop down to the 146th position in the ranking of countries with anti-tobacco norms.
“As doctors who see cancer cases on a daily basis, we are horrified that the Karnataka high court has used this view to strike down such an effective rule. Tobacco is a product that is producing millions of widows, orphans and bereaved parents. While India is celebrating the New Year, lakhs of families will be affected by this,” reads the letter.
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai said, “Photographs on tobacco packets correctly represent the disease caused by tobacco. In fact, many patients come to us with even more horrible diseases than the ones shown on the tobacco packets. We see dozens of such patients every day. Most of these patients die within three to six months. Needless to say, 80 to 90% mouth cancers are related to tobacco use. In India, 1 lakh people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year and 50% of them die within 12 months of diagnosis,” he added.
Karnataka HC in the order, passed on December 15, said “there is no universal acceptance of the theory that the use or consumption of tobacco and its products causes cancer.” Doctors said that tobacco is the most preventable cause of death. One-third of the 26.7 crore tobacco users in India are likely to die. Over 5500 children in India start using tobacco every day.
Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament and Former Minister of Health, said, “The Karnataka High Court judgement has reversed an effective policy. I hope the Government will take appropriate steps to rectify this.”
Pradeep Mathur, Sambandh Health Foundation, said, “India witnesses 10 lakh deaths every year. In a country where people use several languages and dialects, the pictorial warnings transcend the languages and the illiteracy barrier. These 85% graphic warnings were appreciated globally, and their success has been proven by research. India must continue with 85% pictorial warnings for a progressive public health.”
