Help at hand for smokers
PTI
Sunday, June 29, 2003
Bangalore - Now help is at hand for those who want to
give up the 'cancer stick'. With as many as 2,500 Indians
dying everyday due to tobacco related diseases, the
Tobacco Cessation Clinic set up by NIMHANS here is
assisting tobacco users overcome the addiction through
counselling and quitting support.
The one year-old centre, the first of its kind in the
country, plans to extend scope of its activities this
year by training other specialists in the area so that
"help is there in each region of the country for tobacco
addicts", Dr Pratima Murthy, assistant professor,
Department of Psychiatry who is also a co-investigator at
the clinic, said.
"We are also keen to collaborate with interested
agencies, NGOs and companies to transfer our skills and
we hope we will be able to train many more people," Dr
Vivek Benegal, also a co-investigator, said.
"Around 225 persons have sought help till now and a
three-month follow up on about two thirds patients has
been suggested". Out of the 165 who have completed a
three-month follow up, 20 per cent have quit and 37 per
cent have reduced their intake", Murthy said.
A multi-centre initiative, Tobacco Cessation Clinic had
12 such clinics spread all over the country, she said.
Smoking at work places had been Tobacco Cessation
Clinic's major concern and to address this workshops had
been conducted at IT major, Wipro and Motor Industries
Company Ltd (MICO) involving interactive sessions with
participants, she said.
The topics covered included forms of tobacco used, ill-
effects of tobacco consumption, addiction to tobacco and
need for change and treatment of tobacco addiction.
TCC is in regular contact with the Karnataka State Road
Transport Corporation (KSRTC) with regard to the
initiation of tobacco cessation programmes for its
employees.
Besides, TCC in collaboration with the Consortium for
Tobacco Free Karnataka, has also extended help to street
children who are most susceptible to this kind of
addiction, Murthy said.
Under this therapeutic intervention was provided to 12
children from Reds (Rag Pickers Education Development
Scheme) and the reponse has been encouraging. "We will be
working with more children in collaboration with Reds",
she said.
Bidi and cigarette smoking among men is predominant in
Karnataka compared to northern India where chewing of
gutka and paan masalas is common.
As far as smoking among urban women was concerned, "more
and more women are smoking in public today. It has become
a fashion," she said.
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