Press Release
Ulema's conference on tobacco control being held today
(27 November 2008)

Islamabad: The Ministry of Health will arrange a day long Ulema's conference on tobacco control here on Thursday to build alliance with religious leaders. The objectives of the conference included making strategies to accelerate tobacco control through mosques and to raise the awareness of the Ulema on issues of tobacco use.

The conference will also review the progress since the last Ulema's conference and develop future implementation strategy. Tobacco is global epidemic infiltrating the poorest nations and is the second major cause of death in the world, killing 5 million people every year. Countless epidemiological studies establish that tobacco is the agent for death.

There are about 22 million smokers in the country and 100,000 deaths occur due to tobacco related diseases making it a serious public health issue. Tobacco use in Pakistan is common and one of the highest in South East Asian Region. The Ministry of Health has established a Tobacco Control Cell in 2007 in order to address the deleterious impact of tobacco epidemic.

The cornerstone of the new strategy of the Ministry of Health is based on highlighting the Islamic perspective to ensure that people are clearly aware of the harmful effects of tobacco. The first conference to sensitise the Ulema was held in 2007 with the support of Auqaf Department in which Khatibs and Ulema participated in large number.

 


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