Awareness campaigns on tobacco control are very useful in raising public awareness on anti-tobacco, especially by putting stickers on public service vehicles to increase information and education on tobacco hazards while reducing tobacco consumption.
These views were expressed by Dr Palitha Mahipala, Head of WHO country office Pakistan to the public health representatives and volunteers participating in the road awareness campaign on tobacco control which was jointly organized by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) and the World Health Organization at Serene Chowk Islamabad.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Samra Mazhar, Head Tobacco Control Cell / Deputy Director NCD said that 160,000 people die every year due to smoking which is a huge loss of humans and financial for a developing country like Pakistan. This is a matter of satisfaction that Public transport in Islamabad is completely smoke free.
She further said that the smoke-free Islamabad model is a role model, acknowledged by FCTC, for the whole of Pakistan and the world, by adopting which we can largely avoid human harm.
In this awareness campaign, Information Education and Communication (IEC) material on anti-tobacco was disseminated to the masses. No Smoking stickers will also be affixed on public service vehicles.
Volunteers also carried placards with awareness messages to raise public awareness on hazards of tobacco use, second / third hand tobacco smoke and tobacco control laws.
The entire team of Education Wing of Islamabad Traffic Police and volunteers of Pakistan Red Crescent participated in the road awareness campaign on the increasing dangers of smoking among the people through this road awareness campaign.
