Chandigarh
21 September 2021
DIVYA AZAD
Department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh held a curtain raiser ceremony of the 3-day virtual 5th National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) at its premises. The 3 days online scientific programme will be held from 25th to 27th September 2021.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sonu Goel, the Organizing Secretary and Professor at PGIMER said, “The proposed conference is likely to cover emerging and re-emerging issues in tobacco control which is likely to promote academics and research for their translation into effective policy and practice.”
“It would boost the tobacco control efforts of the country by drawing the attention of the policymakers to this staggering public health menace. The conference expects more than 2000 delegates across the country. And more than 100 technical sessions with 150+ experts are planned in the overall scientific programme,” shared Dr Goel.
It’s noteworthy that the proposed virtual National Conference will boost tobacco control efforts by agglomeration of decision-makers, implementers, clinicians, public health experts and academicians from across the country. The speakers will share the contextual experiences and best practices in tobacco control which will ultimately lead to advancing tobacco control in the country.
Dr Dheeraj Khurana, Professor , Department of Neurology, PGI said, “Under the overall leadership and support of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), the conference secretariat at PGIMER, Chandigarh aims at ensuring multi-stakeholder engagement, state participation and provide overall direction to achieve the conference theme ‘Multi-Sectoral Convergence for Tobacco-Free India by 2030: Leading the way towards SDGs’.”
In addition, the conference is also supported by the World Health Organization, The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Vital Strategies, Public Health Foundation of India, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, HRIDAY, SIPHER, and various public health associations.
Dr Arpit Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of Oral Health Sciences, shared that the conference format will include plenary sessions, panel discussions, symposia, oral presentation, poster discussion, and workshops on many aspects of tobacco control. And it will pave the way towards building effective policy and programs leading to advancing tobacco control in the country.
Dr Rakesh Gupta, President SIPHER, Ex- Director Health Services Punjab, highlighted that the three-day scientific program will focus on diverse public health issues and challenges in tobacco control at the national and sub-national level which includes good governance in tobacco control, regional issues in tobacco control, electronic cigarettes, new emerging and reemerging tobacco & nicotine products.
He said, “The speakers will also shed light on tobacco control policies, programmes and legislations, tobacco advertising promotion & sponsorship, cessation, tobacco taxation, monitoring and surveillance, policy and implementation research.”
Various technical sessions would be led by speakers like Sh Vikas Sheel IAS, Additional Secretary and MD NHM, MOHFW Government of India; Dr L Swasticharan, Addl DDG, MoHFW, Govt. of India; Dr. Kamran Siddiqi, from University of York, UK; Dr. K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); Ms. Vineet Munish Gill, National Professional Officer, WHO-India; Dr Jagdish Kaur, Regional Director (TFI), WHO-SEARO; Dr. Rana J. Singh, Deputy Regional Director: NCD and Tobacco Control; The UNION, SEA; Mrs. Preeti Sudan, IAS, Ex-Health Secretary, GOI; Dr R. S Dhaliwal, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai; Dr. Monika Arora, Director Health Promotion and Professor, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); Dr. Pratima Murthy, Director, NIMHANS, Bangalore & more.
Dr. Sonu Goel summed up, “The experts and delegates would also launch a Chandigarh Declaration agreeing upon Tobacco Free India by 2030. Reiterating that its ‘sovereign right of all citizens of India to enjoy the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, while welcoming the recent measures of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, to ban electronic cigarettes.”
