|
|
Asia-Pacific
Activists Decry India's Deferment of Pictorial Health Warnings on Tobacco Products
Special Contribution By Shobha Shukla
 | A various Tobacco products | Civil society in India has strongly condemned the recent decision of the Group of Ministers (GOM) in India to defer the implementation of pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages which was to come in to effect from November 30, 2008. The pictorial warnings have been deferred, again, till at least end of May 2009.This decision of GOM is very unfortunate and has appalled the public health community across the country, said members of Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control (AFTC). By repeatedly postponing the implementation of pack warnings on tobacco packages, the government is failing from performing its important duty to provide essential information to make Indian consumers aware of the effects of tobacco, particularly to the vulnerable poor and the illiterate, further said AFTC members."The decision to defer and unduly delay the mandatory placement of pictorial health warnings on tobacco products is a cynical abdication of governmental responsibility to protect people's health by providing them much required information on the deadly effects of tobacco consumption" said Dr. K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India."The government should set up strong and transparent mechanisms at the highest levels to prevent industry interference in the implementation of tobacco control measures and policy making processes. Since the tobacco industry sells a product that kills one million people in India annually, therefore, industry's interests will always be in conflict with the nation's public health and economic aspirations" remarked Bhavna B Mukhopadhyay, Senior Director, Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI).Article 11 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) imposes a time bound obligation on each of its signatory parties, of which India is also a part, to implement pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages within 3 years of its coming into force. The deadline for India to implement pictorial health warning was 27 February 2008. It's a national shame that India, once considered a global leader in tobacco control has repeatedly failed to enforce this provision of pictorial health warnings. Countries across the world (who are party to FCTC) have unanimously adopted international standards for implementing the international tobacco control treaty that mandates health warning labels that cover 50 percent or more, and no less than 30 percent, of tobacco packaging and feature effective pictures of health conditions caused by tobacco."The news of postponement of implementation of pictorial warnings was most unfortunate. Especially because it came within a day of unanimous adaptation of guidelines for article 11 of FCTC dealing with the packaging and labeling of tobacco products by the Conference of Parties of 160 governments meeting in Durban, South Africa on November 22, 2008. The Government of India was present in that meeting and the decision was applauded by the entire global community" noted Luther Terry Awardee Dr PC Gupta, Director, Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health.The decision to defer the implementation of already diluted, delayed and long overdue pictorial health warnings on tobacco packages is nothing but retraction of India's commitment to FCTC. By deferring the implementation of graphic warnings, the international position of India will be pushed much below from the 34th position that was accorded to India in the recent international status report adopted by Canadian Cancer Society to a much lower ranking."It is high time that national tobacco control policies in India are congruent to what India is obligated to do by ratifying the international global tobacco treaty - Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Last week in the global meeting, India adopted the strong guidelines for Article 5.3, to protect health policies from tobacco industry interference" remarked Bobby Ramakant, from the Indian Society Against Smoking, Asha Parivar, who also represents Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT).Civil society organizations strongly urges to the Indian government to implement the graphic warnings without further delay. The government must act now to protect Indian citizens, especially the vulnerable children and illiterates from serious health hazards caused due to tobacco consumption.
Related Articles Early and Accurate TB Diagnosis Is the Gateway ... Long Walk to Transgender Rights and Gender ... Strong Local Actions Are Pivotal to Reduce ... The Head Must Follow What the Hand Writes Ending Tobacco Smoking Is Bedrock for ... Asia Pacific Has over 6.7 Million New TB Cases Will Shorter, Safer and More Effective TB ... Whither Women's Reproductive Health in Asia ... Build the World We Want: Healthy Future for All New TB Treatment Breakthroughs Must Reach the ... How Will Children Living with HIV Grow Up ... Writing Is on the Wall: Pictorial Health ... Failing on the Basics: Are We Able to Break ... A Bouquet of Novel Compounds: New Treatment ... One Size Does Not Fit All: Expanding the ... Tale of Two Pandemics: Follow the Science and ... Governments Must Adopt a Strong Political ... What Is the Ring? Disability Is Not Limited to the Body, It Is ... Accelerating Progress on Sexual & Reproductive ... Stop This Shaming of Menstruation Complacency Breeds Failure: Consolidate ... For Age Is Opportunity No Less Than Youth ... New Study Pegs the Number of TB Cases in India ... Self-stigma: Let Us Do More Than Just "Ttalk ... We Cannot Eliminate TB If We Leave Children ... MDR-TB Treatment Rgimen: Short Indeed Is ... A Plain Face Can Take the Sheen Out of Deadly ... Strike at the Root of the Problem to Kill TB Antibiotic Use Is Driving Antibiotic Resistance Big Push for Transgender and Hijra Welfare Where There Is a Will There Is a Way: Teeja ... Lung Cancer: Difficult to Diagnose, Difficult ... Long Road to Justice: Human Rights of Female ... Medical Malpractices: Is There Light at the ... Overcoming Roadblocks in Translating ... Management of Respiratory Diseases beyond ... Gender Justice to Be at the Heart of ... Connecting the Dots: Tobacco Use, Diabetes, ... It Is Time To Control Asthma Call for No More New HIV Infected Children Smoking Goes Electronic Break the Silence around Cancer How Can You Treat Your Illness Unless You Take ... Asthma Medicines Still Unaffordable for Many New Technique to Prevent Diabetic Lower-Limb ... Cycle Beads: The Bead String for Family ... Beware: All Forms of Tobacco Are Harmful! Mother's Milk Is the Best Nutrition for the ... Where Is The TB Quilt, Nay Mask? Hello, This Is Nature¡¯s Call From Garbage ... Tuberculosis: Ugly Scar on Beautiful Childhood Towards A More Enabling Environment for ... What¡¯s Cooking in Kitchen: Peace or Conflict? Feed Your Child Well: Prevent Pneumonia Costly Medicines Mean Debt or Death for People ... AIDS Epidemic at a Critical Juncture in ... Watch Your Tongue Mr. Minister! Free Trade Agreements: A Threat To People's ... In The Pursuit Of Healthy Happiness Empowering Rural Women Say Yes To Life: Say No To Tobacco Homophobia Is A Human Rights Issue Viva La Woman Power Rubbish Rubbish Food and Embrace Healthy ... Of Music and Divinity Wake Up Call on Childhood Obesity after Years ... A New Hope of Life for Our Ailing Education ... Reminiscences of Egypt Do Not Break the Nucleus Whispers of Sanity in the Frenzy of Madness Tobacco Cessation Can Piggy-back Ride on ... In The Spirit Of Freedom (from Tobacco) World Conference on Tobacco or Health
to ... Requiem for Purity Rhapsody 2008 -- a Symphony of Different ... 'Diabetes Doctor Is at Your Doorstep' in ... South-East Asian Diabetes Summit to Open Up in ... Special on Universal Children's Day The Wrath Of God World Food Scarcity and the Challenges of ... Victim of Terrorism -- the Common Man Teachers' Day: The Sacrificial Goat Hiroshima Day: Let Us Worship Peace and Shun ... Whither the Innocence of Childhood? Food for Thought -- on World Food Day Love Is the Missing Link in War-on-Terror Irom Sharmila: The Iron Lady India Poised And Shining Is It Just Another Day in Life of Indian Woman? He Has His Cake and Eats It Too To Be Young, to Be Married, and to Be in India The Mad Mad World of Ads
Other Articles by Shobha Shukla
Long Walk to Transgender Rights and Gender ... Whither Women's Reproductive Health in Asia ... Build the World We Want: Healthy Future for ... New TB Treatment Breakthroughs Must Reach ... A Bouquet of Novel Compounds: New Treatment ...
Ms. Shobha Shukla has been teaching Physics at India's noted Loreto Convent, and has been writing for The Hindustan Times and Women's Era in the past. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS). She can be contacted at shobha1shukla@yahoo.co.in)
back
|
|
|
|
|