Participants along with officials from Nagaland Health and Family Welfare Department, The Union and others during the state level workshop to implement WHO FCTC, Article 5.3 Policy in Nagaland at Hotel De Oriental Grand, Kohima on September 29. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Kohima | September 29
Joint Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Renabomo Odyuo, today said that social acceptability of tobacco use is so high in the state that the menace continue to plaque the Naga society. Quoting from the Global Adult Tobacco survey 2016 and 2019, he said Nagaland has one of the highest numbers of tobacco users in the age group of 12-15 years and adults above 15 years of age.
Odyuo was addressing a state level workshop to implement World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Article 5.3 Policy in Nagaland at Hotel De Oriental Grand Conference Hall, Kohima.
He said the release of the state level policy in line with World Health Organization (WHO) Framework convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3 in June 2023 by the Department of Health and Family Welfare and State Tobacco Control Cell (STCC) was a milestone achievement for a state which has one of the highest tobacco users.
Highlighting the various initiatives undertaken to combat the menace, Odyuo said the state government has in the recent months before the notification of empowered committee notified health care establishments both government and private as ‘Tobacco Free’ including all offices under the Department of H&FW.
“All Educational institutions were declared as ‘Tobacco Free’ and teachers were empowered in their jurisdiction to act as enforcement officers for COTPA 2003 Section 6 (b) violation, i.e. sale of Tobacco within 100 meters of the educational institution jurisdiction.
With this notification in place and active enforcement drives conducted by District Anti-Tobacco Squad, we have managed to raise more awareness and take actions against these violations this year,” the joint secretary informed.
He also mentioned that simultaneous enforcement drives in the entire state was conducted on May 9 2023, which is a witness to how effective policy can bring results. Odyuo also stated that Tobacco Free School to Tobacco Free Home campaign was launched this year and as many as 30 Tobacco Free Schools have taken up this initiative.
Dr Shivam Kapoor, Technical Advisor, Monitoring & Evaluation at International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), delivered a presentation on code of conduct adopted by the MoH and FW and way forward for its smooth functioning.
During the technical sessions, an introduction to WHO-FCTC Article 5.3, development and implementation of its guidelines, tobacco industry interference (TII), monitoring tool, and mechanisms- global and local best practices was taken up by Dr Shivam Kapoor and Dr Garima Bhatt.
Other topics included salient features of FCTC Article 5.3 state policy of Nagaland, current trends and strategies of TII- Experiences of other districts by Linoka K Awomi, Consultant DTCC, NTCP Nagaland and Dr Chiekroshuyi Tetseo, Director (Dental), H&FW department.
Nagaland 3rd highest tobacco users with 42.6%: GYTS-4 survey
According to Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-4) 2019, Nagaland was the 3rd highest tobacco user with 42.6% users. The same survey undertaken in 2016, Nagaland had 43.3% tobacco users.
The data was presented by Dr Arenla Walling, Deputy Director (Dental), & SNO (NTCP), Department to Health and Family Welfare, Nagaland while presenting on the topic “Burden of Tobacco, advancing tobacco cessation in Nagaland and progress of NTCP in Nagaland.”
The percentage of smokeless users and smokers, stood at 39% and 13.2% and both type users were 8.9%. Smokeless tobacco pan masala with tobacco users was 21.1%, betel quid with tobacco 17.5%, khaini 10.1%, bidi and cigarettes 9.9% and gutka 9.4%.
Currently in Nagaland, there are 358 tobacco free schools, 26 tobacco free colleges, 28 tobacco free villages, 137 tobacco free homes and 12 tobacco free police stations.
