Various awareness programmes were organised here on Tuesday in view of ‘World No Tobacco Day.’ Following the screening of a documentary detailing the serious ailments caused by tobacco in the awareness programme jointly organised by Indian Red Cross Society’s Tirunelveli Chapter, Charlie Foundation and Charlie Dental Hospital, volunteers from Crimson ITI staged an awareness skit.
A group of children enacted the painful death caused by tobacco products.
Mayor E. Bhuvaneshwari participated in the awareness programme. Doctors, nurses and workers of Shifa Hospital formed an anti-tobacco awareness human chain at Tirunelveli Junction. On behalf of Max Jones Trust and a few other organisations, awareness street play was staged at Bazaar Grounds in Melapalayam that housed thousands of beedi rollers.
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'World No Tobacco Day' was observed in the district. The staff of the Department of Radiotherapy, Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital organised an awareness programme to mark the occasion.
Lalitha Subramanian, Professor, Department of Radiotherapy, welcomed the gathering. Dean B. Shanthakumar, who inaugurated the programme, said cigarette smoking is harmful to health and he advised smokers to quit smoking. Nicotine in tobacco is an addictive drug. Of 16 patients, who smoked for over five years, when tested, three were diagnosed with cancer. The public, especially the younger generation, should shoulder the responsibility to spread awareness about the ill-effects of smoking.
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Medical Superintendent K. Rajendra Rathinam, Balasubramanian, Chief Doctor, ENT, S. Vellaipandian, Professor and Head, Department of Paediatrics, Mohammed Rafi, Professor of Medicine, Ramasubramanian, Gastroenterologist, Senthamarai, Professor, Medicine and Srinivasan Assistant Professor, Psychiatry spoke about various ills of smoking. Kalidevi, Principal, School of Nursing, Easwari, Vice Principal and nursing students attended the programme.
An awareness campaign was organised by The Hindu in association with Sterlite Copper here on Tuesday. B. Shanthakumar, Dean, Thoothukudi Government Medical College Hospital, inaugurated the programme on the hospital premises and spoke about dangers of smoking in the midst of autorickshaw drivers. As part of the campaign, 12,000 copies of The Hindu Tamizh newspapers, were distributed to the public.