Call for increased pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs

Civil society urges govt to enforce earlier decision


Our Correspondent September 09, 2016
Civil society urges govt to enforce earlier decision.

KARACHI: The partners of Coalition for Tobacco Control - Pakistan (CTC-Pak) called for immediate enforcement of the pictorial health warning (PHW) on 85% of the cigarette packs as per the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination's (NHSRC) notification of February, 2015.

The press conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday afternoon aimed to remind the government that it has been more than 15 months since that decision.

Govt asked to increase size of pictorial warning on cigarette packs

The partners expressed concerns on the tobacco industry's interference in the delay of the new enhanced warnings of 85% on cigarette packs.

"Larger pictorial warnings have proved effective the world over to reduce tobacco use," said the executive director of Workers Education and Research Organisation, Mir Zulfiqar Ali. "Even India, having six times the population of Pakistan, implemented 85% PHW starting June 1, 2016. It's been over 15 months since Pakistan announced to implement 85% PHW." He questioned why this has not been carried out when we know its timely implementation can reduce tobacco consumption among the consumers of tobacco, particularly new ones.



Ali maintained that Pakistan is a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which was binding on all the member states and requires parties of the convention to implement large, rotating health warnings on all tobacco products' packaging and labelling.

He further remarked that enhanced PHW is one of the major steps every country had to take in addition to many other measures, including banning tobacco advertisement, increasing taxation, banning tobacco within 50 metres of educational institutes and banning tobacco use in public places.

He said that the ministry of health had just announced a new health policy after a gap of 15 years to ensure the good health of citizens of Pakistan and overcome factors that cause chronic diseases. But, unfortunately, said Ali, public representative institutions and bodies were, in a way, promoting tobacco use by not highlighting the threats of tobacco, which was the major risk factor of fatal non-communicative diseases.

"The tobacco industry has gone to extreme lengths to compromise this enhanced health policy because the industry understands the importance of their product's packs," he said. "They know if the larger health warnings appear on packs, it will further expose the terrible truths of using their products."

Pakistan loses Rs24 billion a year due to illicit cigarette trade

Ali added that India did not compromise the health of its public even after facing challenges from the tobacco industry. "Why does Pakistan continue to delay it when we know there is no health budget allocated for tobacco victims?" he asked.

Habibullah Junaidi, the convener of Sindh Labour Solidarity Committee, was of the view that it is the common responsibility of the government and society to cooperate to discourage the consumption of tobacco. He added that in Pakistan, more than 60 million people belong to the labour class and, in order to protect their health, the government needs to take responsibility since tobacco is a poison. Junaidi further remarked that if the government is committed, it should come forward to protect the lives of millions of people.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2016.

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