Steady
progress has been made by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and
Coordination (NHSRC) towards the establishment of population-level tobacco
control communication programs to combat tobacco use. In this context, Tobacco
Control Cell (TCC) of Ministry of NHSRC, with the support of Federal Film
Censor Board, Islamabad has launched a pilot advocacy campaign in cinema
theatres across Pakistan.
In
this campaign, two tobacco control messages “Alive” and “Sponge” have been
disseminated to all cinema theatres through Central Film Censor Board Islamabad
to air/ broadcast them during their shows regularly.
The
30 second “Sponge” ad graphically depicts how cigarettes smoke causes
preventable disease and premature death. The ad compares a smoker’s lungs
with a sponge. It graphically shows how a smoker’s lungs soak up the poisons
found in tobacco smoke, which collect in the lungs as cancer-causing tar. The
amount of tar generated by a pack a day smoker, every year, is enough to fill a
beaker. The ad lists the diseases associated with tobacco use and urges smokers
to “Quit Today!” It is expected that approximately 3,000 people may watch these
anti-tobacco messages daily.
It
may be recalled that the Tobacco Control Cell (TCC) of the Ministry and Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), has already been working to
institutionalise mass media campaigns through their regulatory system. Over the
past 12 months, Tobacco Control Cell in coordination with the PEMRA, has
distributed two tobacco control mass media campaigns of public service messages
to Media networks. An independent media monitoring agency supported by Vital
Strategies found that “Sponge” aired over 1,100 times on TV channels in
Pakistan. Parallel to this, coverage of tobacco control messages has been
expanded through community-based channels including installation of billboards
and posters featuring messages in hospital and health centres in Rawalpindi and
all provincial capitals across the country.
Tobacco
Control Cell of the Ministry has also recently notified new pictorial health
warning, 50% of the front and back of all cigarettes packs and outers with a
move to enhance and change the warnings to 60% by June, 2019.
Tobacco
use is single largest preventable cause of death in the world. In Pakistan,
tobacco is a cause of death of around 108,800 persons every year. This is 298
deaths per day. Population-level tobacco control communication programs are
helpful in curbing tobacco epidemic and saving lives of people of Pakistan.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*