Dateline Dehradun: Himalayan Hospital Jolly Grant organized an awareness campaign on ‘World No Tobacco Day.’ Under this initiative, the hospital aimed to educate the youth in the hospital and surrounding rural areas about the diseases caused by tobacco and to inspire them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Led by Dr. Ashok Kumar Srivastava and Dr. Shaili Vyas from the ‘Community Medicine Department’ of Swami Rama Himalayan University, awareness campaigns were conducted at the ‘Rural Health Training Center’ in Raiwala and the ‘Urban Health Training Center’ in Kurkawala.
Addressing the attendees, Dr. Avani Gupta highlighted the alarming statistics of tobacco consumption amongst the youth. She emphasized how the tobacco industry uses flavours, misleading marketing, and social media to attract young people. Dr. Chirag Joshi discussed strategies to protect children from the influence of the tobacco industry. He advocated for strict regulations on tobacco marketing and sales, promoting smoke-free environments, and educating children about the harms of tobacco use.
Additionally, the doctors provided guidance on quitting tobacco, including nicotine replacement therapy, behavioural counseling programs available at Himalayan Hospital, and support groups for those seeking to overcome addiction. People visiting the hospital’s OPD were also informed about the diseases caused by tobacco consumption.
Present at the event were Dr. Abhay Srivastava, Dr. Vidisha Vallabh, Dr. Chandra Pant, Dr. Deepa, Rita Bhatt, Aradhna Dudhpuri, Farzana, and others.
In a related effort, the Community Medicine Department organized a competition at SDM Public School Pratitnagar, Rishikesh, to promote a tobacco-free lifestyle among students. In the fitness challenge test, Ruchi secured the first place, Rahul the second, and Vikas the third. In the extempore competition, Prerna was first, Sheetal second, and Ishika third. In the quiz competition, Himanshu came first, Saksham second, and Suman third. The school principal, Shashank Chamoli, thanked Dr. Shaili Vyas, Dr. Abhay Srivastava, and Dr. Neha Sharma from SRHU and expressed full support for future awareness programs.
