PESHAWAR:Participants of a consultative meeting here on Monday vowed to declare Peshawar ‘smoke-free’ capital by strengthening effective compliance to 85% of existing policy measures for tobacco control.
The commitment was expressed in a round table consultation organized by Blue Veins in collaboration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tobacco Control Cell, Directorate General of Health Services.
The consultation was organized on the proposed action plan for sustainable tobacco control in KP to facilitate the implementation and integration of the KP Tobacco Control Roadmap 2021 developed by the Health Department.
The action plan is intended to assist different government departments, institutions, policymakers, provincial and district authorities, and other relevant agencies in furthering the implementation of the Provincial Roadmap on Tobacco Control and sustainable tobacco control in KP.
Addressing the consultation, Chairperson Standing Committee on Health, KP MPA Rabia Basri said the provincial action plan was anticipated to promote coordinated actions by government and non-government institutions for sustainable tobacco control measures.
Successful implementation is dependent on effective partnerships and collaboration between all stakeholders and the community.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Peshawar for Human Rights and Relief Imran Khan said district administration was proactively engaged to improve compliance with tobacco-related laws and policies through regular monitoring.
He said they were committed to furthering the compliance through targeted public campaigns and were confident they would succeed to declare Peshawar a ‘tobacco-free capital’.
Director Public Health, Directorate General of Health Services, KP Dr. Nek Dad Afridi said reduction in smoking prevalence was one of the most important public health measures that should be implemented to improve the health of KP’s population of 35.53 million.
Project Coordinator Tobacco Control Cell Health Department said the government, in the Ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), had already undertaken a series of actions in the field of tobacco prevention and control.
The most important step taken by the KP government is the establishment of the Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) in 2013 and the adoption of the provincial Road Map for Tobacco Control.
Program Manager Blue Veins Qamar Naseem said delivering a comprehensive tobacco control strategy requires action in a variety of settings.
He said key settings for tobacco control in KP include workplaces, schools, media, the built environment, health services (particularly mental health services), the hospitality industry, prisons, and others.