Tobacco kills 100,000 in Pakistan every year

Islamabad - According to figures of the Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination about 22-25 million people in Pakistan are smokers and 55% of households contain at least one smoker.

About 100,000 people die annually due to tobacco use in Pakistan and use of sheesha amongst the youth is a serious emerging health risk.
According to figures of the Ministry of Health Services, Regulations and Coordination about 22-25 million people in Pakistan are smokers and 55% of households contain at least one smoker.
Around 36% of adult males and 9% of adult females are tobacco users so the male to female ratio is 4:1 while the boy to girl tobacco use ratio is 2:1. In a year, five million people die across the world as a direct result of tobacco use.
In a widely hailed move, the Ministry of Health last year announced introduction of new larger size of pictorial health warning on cigarette packs. The new pictorial warning covers remarkable 85 per cent of cigarette pack on both sides. The measure made Pakistan only the third country in the world besides Thailand and India to have enhanced pictorial health warning to 85 per cent.
It is a major stride forward to deter tobacco users. The size of the warning has been more than doubled from 40 per cent to 85 per cent. The matter of introducing the new enhanced pictorial warning has remained stalled since 2011.
After taking office in June 2013, the government started working with focus both on communicable and non-communicable diseases.
A process of consultation was initiated with the provinces to revive the Tobacco Control Programme and strengthen it. Pictorial Warning on tobacco packs in the most effective means of communication with tobacco users.
According to research, a smoker looks at this picture at an average of 7,000 times in a year. Moreover, those who intend to initiate smoking are discouraged by the warning whereas it encourages those who intend to quit smoking. - APP

• Pakistan