Gangtok,August23: As per the available data 47 percent of school children consume various Tobacco products in Sikkim which is next to only Nagaland and Manipur. This was revealed in a day long seminar organised by the Voluntary Health Association of Sikkim (VHAS) an NGO of Sikkim working for improvement of health sector of the state.
Speaking as the chief guest at the Eighth Annual General Body Meeting of VHAS on Sunday, Nodal Officer of the programme, also the Nodal Officer of the Tobacco Control in the State and Additional Director in the Health Department, Dr. P.M. Pradhan revealed that Tobacco related diseases have a great say in non-communicable diseases which claim75 percent of the deaths in the State every year.
Dr. Pradhan revealed that half of the cancer deaths in the state are attributed to tobacco. He called for sensitizing the Policy Makers in the state too about the potential danger to the health of the people being posed by the tobacco products to ensure an effective control on their availability in the state.
The state government has called upon the NGOs to help in its efforts to make a ‘Disease Free and Healthy Sikkim’ by creating awareness among the masses. It is said that they can play a crucial role in making the Compulsory Annual Health Check Up Programme throughout the state.
VHAS figures among the NGOs selected by the National Planning Commission in the country to study and report about Health and Nutrition for preparation of the 11th Five Year Plan document. The Association will be attending a training programme on the 26th of this month in Guwahati in this regard, Dr. B. B. Rai said.
He said that the VHAS has been entrusted by the IGNOU with the job of establishing a Community College in the State. The College will help the drop-outs and those who can’t attend regular classes enhance their educational qualification, he said. Dr. Rai said that he will soon be interacting with the Local Regional Office of the IGNOU in this connection.
He said that the VHAS has also been entrusted with the job of completing the social audit of the NREGA in East, North and West districts. He further said that the Social audit for the North and East districts have already been completed while the same for the West district will be undertaken soon
Speaking as the chief guest at the Eighth Annual General Body Meeting of VHAS on Sunday, Nodal Officer of the programme, also the Nodal Officer of the Tobacco Control in the State and Additional Director in the Health Department, Dr. P.M. Pradhan revealed that Tobacco related diseases have a great say in non-communicable diseases which claim75 percent of the deaths in the State every year.
Dr. Pradhan revealed that half of the cancer deaths in the state are attributed to tobacco. He called for sensitizing the Policy Makers in the state too about the potential danger to the health of the people being posed by the tobacco products to ensure an effective control on their availability in the state.
The state government has called upon the NGOs to help in its efforts to make a ‘Disease Free and Healthy Sikkim’ by creating awareness among the masses. It is said that they can play a crucial role in making the Compulsory Annual Health Check Up Programme throughout the state.
VHAS figures among the NGOs selected by the National Planning Commission in the country to study and report about Health and Nutrition for preparation of the 11th Five Year Plan document. The Association will be attending a training programme on the 26th of this month in Guwahati in this regard, Dr. B. B. Rai said.
He said that the VHAS has been entrusted by the IGNOU with the job of establishing a Community College in the State. The College will help the drop-outs and those who can’t attend regular classes enhance their educational qualification, he said. Dr. Rai said that he will soon be interacting with the Local Regional Office of the IGNOU in this connection.
He said that the VHAS has also been entrusted with the job of completing the social audit of the NREGA in East, North and West districts. He further said that the Social audit for the North and East districts have already been completed while the same for the West district will be undertaken soon
