Doctors, Cancer Victims Encourage Centers to Remove Designated Smoking Rooms from Hotels, Restaurants-New Indian Express

To PTI

New Delhi: On Smoking Cessation Day, doctors, cancer victims and the Hotel Association have requested the Center to remove designated smoking rooms from hotels, restaurants and airports to protect people from indirect smoking.

The second Wednesday of March is observed as a non-smoking day.

In praise of the Center, which has begun the process of amending COTPA 2003, doctors, cancer victims and hotel associations immediately allow smoking areas to quit smoking 100% in India and check the spread of COVID. I asked for deletion. 19.

Dr. Pankai Chatulvedi, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital, said there is increasing evidence that smoking increases the risk of attracting Covid.

It worsens lung function and weakens immunity.

Smokers infected with Covid develop more complications and are at increased risk of death.

“Hotels, restaurants and even all designated smoking areas at the airport should be abolished to ensure a 100% non-smoking environment. Most of these smoking areas rarely comply with COTPA requirements. In fact, it puts our public at great health risk. Exposure to second-hand smoke. “

In India, smoking in public places is banned in accordance with the 2003 Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Advertising Ban and Trade and Commercial Production, Supply and Distribution Regulations) Act (COTPA).

Article 4 of the law prohibits smoking in places accessible to the general public.

However, the law allows smoking in designated areas of certain public places such as restaurants, hotels, and airports.

“Exposure to second-hand smoke occurs in eateries, hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs, and exposure to tobacco smoke puts the lives of thousands of nonsmokers at risk. As smoke penetrates from smoking areas to common areas, COTPA needs to be modified to disallow smoking in any facility.

“For the best interests of public health, all places must be completely non-smoking,” said Narini Satianarayan, a victim and health activist of second-hand smoke.

Indirect smoking is as harmful as smoking.

Exposure to indirect smoking causes many illnesses, including lung cancer and heart disease in adults, lung dysfunction and respiratory infections in children.

People with impaired respiratory and cardiovascular systems are at increased severity of COVID-19 and risk of death.

The designated smoking area promotes the spread of Covid, as smokers have difficulty tracking social distances, are unable to wear masks, and are trapped in close proximity to smoke-filled environments, Chaturvedi said. Says.

“We found that families prefer to stay in hotels that do not allow smoking. We are pleased that the government is strengthening the COTPA clause to completely quit smoking in the hospitality sector. We are people. We support government initiatives to protect the health of smoking cessation, said GP Sharma, chairman of the Utter Pradesh Hospitality Association.

The Center has submitted the 2020 COTPA (Amendment) Bill to Parliament.

In a recent survey conducted in India, 72% of respondents believe that indirect smoking is a serious health hazard, and 88% strongly support the strengthening of current tobacco control legislation to address the threat. I am.

India has the second highest number of tobacco users in the world (Rs 2.68 billion, or 28.6 percent of all adults in the country).

Of that, at least Rs 120,000 die each year from tobacco-related illnesses.

Smoking has been reported to kill 100,000 rupees, more than 20,000 rupees due to indirect smoking exposure and more than 35,000 deaths due to the use of smokeless tobacco.

Almost 27% of all cancer cases in India are due to the use of tobacco.

The total direct and indirect cost of illness due to tobacco use is a staggering 1.82 rupees, which is almost 1.8 percent of the country’s GDP.

According to recommendations issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR), the use of all forms of tobacco, whether smoking or chewing tobacco, is associated with serious COVID-19 victims.