: On account of the April 1 implementation date for pictorial health warnings covering 85 per cent of the front and back of tobacco packages in India, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, Indian Dental Association, The Association of Physicians of India, and Commonwealth Medical Association Trust have written to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to stand ground on timely implementation of the large-sized, graphic warnings.
The medical bodies have been convened under the aegis of Doctors For Tobacco Control in India.
Each of the associations, representing thousands of medical professionals, has highlighted the terrible and diverse consequences of tobacco use on human health and the urgent need to protect children and young people from the habit.
“Pictorial warnings are particularly effective to communicate health information to populations with low literacy rates and clearly warn about the health risks of tobacco. The effectiveness of graphic pictorial health warnings have been documented in countries all around the world. Any further delay in the implementation or any dilution in terms of reducing the size of the warnings or restricting display only on one side will result in a major setback in India’s tobacco control commitments,’’ the Associations have noted in their letters.
The Union Health Minister has confirmed in Parliament that the notification dated October 15, 2014, will be implemented from April 1.
