Health Minister K. K. Shylaja has called for a targeted campaign to prevent youth from being initiated into the tobacco habit.
She was inaugurating the World No-Tobacco Day observance here on Wednesday, organised by Tobacco Free Kerala, the Department of Health, Regional Cancer Centre and various NGOs.
As part of Aardram Mission, the government was in the process of revamping the primary health centres in the State as Family Health Centres. These may be the ideal places to start initiatives to help people curb tobacco use, especially in rural areas where chewing tobacco is very popular, she said. The ban on e-cigarettes was another government initiative to reduce tobacco use.
Ms. Shylaja also inaugurated an year-long awareness programme against tobacco, being launched by the Health department. She also released a short film, titled, “Drug Terrorism,” produced by the department.
Speaking on the occasion, K. R. Thankappan, Head, Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, spoke about the economic burden of tobacco use and said that people were yet to see tobacco use as a health problem.
K. Ramadas, Medical Superintendent, RCC, said that tobacco use was responsible for 40 % cancers in men and 20 % cancers in women.
A magic show by magician Harris Thaha was also organised on the occasion to highlight the No-tobacco message.
