A cessation plan for 12 crore smokers in India has been chalked out by the
union health ministry to help smokers get rid of their habit. Over a period of two years, 100 tobacco cessation clinics will be set up all over the country.

The cessation clinics, to be set up, will be consist of a clinical psychologist as well as counsellor. Efforts will be made to bring about behaviourial changes and the smokers trying to quit will also have access to techniques of meditation. The smokers will undergo Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).

Plans are also on to make it compulsory for the medical colleges numbering 275, both private and public and 600 hospitals at district headquarters within the country to begin cessation clinics.

Union health minister, A Ramadoss, said that in the coming two years India will run 1,000 tobacco cessation clinics. Such clinics will undertake 4-6 week counseling and cessation programme for early and chainsmokers.

In the meeting headed by the director-general of health services, Dr. R K Srivastava, four Delhi hospitals- Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge, Safardarjung hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital decided to go smoke free as well as set-up clinics.

Ram Manohar Lohia hospital is setting up workplace cessation model at Nirmal Bhawan home. Smokers can visit twice a week to find out how to get rid of smoking habit.

Based on recent survey, it was observed that quit rate within the country was very low – 2%. So far WHO as well as the ministry of health, both together, operated 18 cessation clinics in 17 states. The first clinic came up in Delhi in 2002. Since then, about 40,000 smokers have visited these 18 clinics and the rate of quitting has been somewhere between 15%-20%.

Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative said that tobacco is highly addictive and is responsible for the death of one-third to about half of its consumers. He felt that India could increase taxation on tobacco products. The money earned through this method could be utilized to upscale the cessation programmes, with the help of therapy-based treatments.

Cigarettes as well as other forms of tobacco like gutka, Khaini and bidis are addictive on account of the presence of nicotine. Nicotine, according to experts, is a stimulant with cocaine type properties. It causes increase in blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate. The side-effects of nicotine withdrawal are difficulty in concentration, cravings, depression, insomnia, irritability, anger, restlessness and anxiety. These symptoms come down as a person keeps away from tobacco. Tobacco, according to Ramadoss, is the only product that kills its consumers.

Source: TOI September 11th,2008