The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Magazine launches signature campaign against smoking

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

Magazine launches signature campaign against smoking

Staff Reporter

"Doctors have an important role weaning people away from tobacco"

INKING THE PLEDGE: A. K. Moorthy, MP (second from left) and Sowmya Anbumani, joint editor of `Pasumai Thayagam' magazine, participate in a signature campaign against tobacco organised by the magazine in connection with World No Tobacco Day in the cit y on Tuesday. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI THE: Pasumai Thayagam magazine is conducting a campaign to get 10-lakh signatures against the emerging tobacco markets to be presented to the Malaysian Prime Minister at a conference in November.

Sowmya Anbumani, joint editor of the magazine, announcing this at a signature campaign for doctors against tobacco at the Southern Railway Hospital, said a World Health Organisation report stated that children from 8 to 13 years in Tamil Nadu were introduced to tobacco. Doctors had an important role weaning people away from tobacco as patients listened to them. "Last year, the same programme was conducted for sportspersons, for tobacco-less sports and sports advertisements."

"According to WHO, tobacco is the second major cause of death around the world. Currently, 4.9 million people die every year globally from tobacco use. Out of this, 1.1 million are in South-East Asia. If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today — about 650 million people — will eventually be killed by tobacco and most of them will be in developing countries," she said.

Stickers and handbills were distributed to the doctors. Dr. N. Padmanabhan, medical director of the hospital, participated.

Southern Railway organised various programmes to educate the public on the hazards of tobacco. The Railway's health units and divisional hospital conducted poster competitions, slogan writing, debates, and seminars. An exhibition depicting the ill-effects of tobacco use and ways to overcome the habit was inaugurated by N. Shanker, Chief Signal and Telecommunication Engineer. N. Jayaram, Divisional Railway Manager and other officers were also present.

A presentation on tobacco control was made at the Southern Railway headquarters. A campaign against smoking in public places and in crowded areas was the highlight of the exhibition held at the Egmore Railway station.

Prajapitha Brahmakumaris Eswarya Vishwa Vidyalayam, Nungambakkam, also conducted an exhibition portraying the evils of tobaccoSimilar campaigns were conducted at St. Thomas Mount railway station and Chromepet railway station.

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