Almost half the country’s tobacco using population wants to give up the fatal habit but does not know what to do or where to go to reduce their dependence on tobacco. The habit kills 1 million annually.
Yet, for the 275 million users of smoking and smokeless tobacco products, the country has just 19 tobacco cessation clinics (TCCs), where trained medics provide nicotine replacement therapy to help clients kick the butt. Most such centres are in urban areas of 17 states, leaving a vast chunk of rural India uncovered.
This, at a time when the country’s first scientific study on the results of clinically aided cessation among tobacco users threw up an encouraging quit rate of 22 per cent. The global quit rate average with the best cessation facilities is about 33 per cent.
The India Tobacco report released last November provided ample evidence of current smokers and smokeless tobacco users wanting to quit. Whereas 46.6 per cent smokers said they were interested in quitting and 38.4 per cent tried quitting, 45.2 per cent smokeless tobacco users admitted to an urge to quit and 35.4 per cent said they tried. Health Ministry’s own data from the national anti-tobacco helpline (1800110456) also shows that out of 10,722 calls received over the last year, 1500 related to cessation facilities alone. That explains the massive urge among people to reduce nicotine dependence. A survey today on the use of anti-smoking gums available in the market, firmed up the evidence of the need for Nicotine Replacement Therapy, which the government now plans to subsidise. Currently, a strip of 10 gum costs between Rs 50 and 65.
CESSATION FACTS
- Most smokers desire to quit; 30% try annually and 5% succeed. Unaided cessation not very successful
- The body starts repairing itself within 24 hours of quitting
- Among quitters, heart disease death rate halves in a year; lung cancer risk drops by half in 10 years
- In 2001, India was among the first Southeast Asian countries to offer cessation with WHO's help
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