Kolkata:
Depression is the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide. As per
latest estimates from the World Health Organization, more than 30 crore people globally
are living with depression, with 1 in 20 people in India suffering from
depression as per a recent study by NIMHANS. A study by Jane Collingwood (2016)
concluded that smokers have more than twice the rate of depression than
non-smokers.
On the occasion of World
Health Day doctors from Narayana Health in a media briefing in Press Club,
Kolkata today asserted that tobacco is a cause not just for depression but for many
diseases. Dr Suman Mallik, a Radiation Oncologist at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Howrah, said that tobacco is the
major cause for a wide varieties of cancers, heart diseases, strokes as also pulmonary,
peripheral vascular and respiratory diseases. Even problems like Impotence, Infertility,
renal failure and liver diseases are caused by tobacco. In fact, Dr Mallik said
that there is no part of the human body that tobacco does not impact.
Another
renowned cancer surgeon from Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Howrah, Dr
Sourav Datta, said “More than 90% of my patients come with cancers and sadly
the reason is no other but tobacco! Not only it puts the patient in depression
but results in the entire family moving towards depression due the serious
illnesses caused by tobacco. On this World Health Day, people of West Bengal
must pledge to quit tobacco and Government must take all necessary steps to
enforce the Cigarettes & Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) to ensure
children do not become addicts. Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of
death. We must have clean and safe campuses right from the primary schools.”
Speaking
at the World Health Day press briefing Ashima Sarin, Project Director, Voice of
Tobacco Victims said, “India cannot talk about World Health Day unless there’s
mention of tobacco. Tobacco is initiated by 438 children every day in West
Bengal. Students are more likely to get depressed and fall prey to tobacco.
They are totally unaware that there’s an entry to this but the exit is almost
impossible because they become addicts by the time they realize. Tobacco is
responsible for 1.53 lac deaths every year in West Bengal.”
Sanjay Seth, Trustee &
Chief of Operations,Sambandh Health Foundation said, “Worldwide 1 in 10 deaths
is due to smoking. In India alone, tobacco takes away 12 lac lives per annum. West
Bengal witnesses 1.5 lacs deaths every year due to tobacco consumption. On
World Health Day, West Bengal must take up tobacco control very seriously if
the health parameters of the state are to improve.
Akshay
Oleti, Facility Director of Narayana Hospitals in Howrah, said, as the adage
saying goes, Prevention is better than cure, if we are able to make our society
tobacco free, it would mean we are successfully moving towards a healthier
nation. Healthy people make healthy nation. I feel we must take all prevention
to ensure youngsters are not falling prey to such deadly products further
leading to depression, disability or death.”
As
per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2010, in West Bengal 62.4% of adults
are exposed to second hand smoke at home and 29.8% in public places. Ten
percent of those who die from smoking are not smokers themselves. Also, the
total economic costs attributable to tobacco use in West Bengal amounted to Rs
3440 crores for persons aged 35-69. World Health Day is observed on 7th
April every year.
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