Media Release
Udupi, Jun 28: The department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences,Manipal, in association with the UNION (International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease) Udupi District Surveillance Office, Udupi Zilla Panchayath, and Udupi Nagara Palike organized a capacity-building workshop on 'Tobacco Vendor Licensing Considerations for Udupi district' on the occasion of Nation Public Health Dentistry Week. The event took place on June 23 in the TMA Pai Hall at KMC, Manipal.
The workshop concentrated on the importance of tobacco vendor licensing and creation of awareness regarding tobacco-related diseases. It emphasized on securing the future of youth by making India tobacco-free through the medium of licensing. The workshop had 3 interactive sessions conducted by Dr Amit Yadav, senior technical advisor in Tobacco Control, The Union Southeast Asia Office in New Delhi, Prabhakar, Karnataka State project manager of the UNION and Mahantesh, divisional coordinator Bloomberg initiative Karnataka Tobacco control cell, UNION.
This capacity building workshop had Udupi District Panchayath Development officers, medical and dental faculty, students, interns and postgraduates as the audience and about 160 people participated in the programme with enthusiasm and lively interaction.
The chief guest for the event was H Prasanna, CEO of Udupi zilla panchayat and the guest of honour was Dr Raghu AR, director of international collaborations, MAHE. Udupi district surveillance officer, Dr Nagarathna, was also in attendance.
Dr Monica C Solomon, the dean of MCODS, Manipal, Dr Vidya Saraswathi M, associate dean of MCODS, Manipal, Dr Ramprasad V P, professor and head of the department of Public Health Dentistry, MCODS, Manipal and Dr Prajna Nayak, Reader, department of Public Health Dentistry graced the event with their presence.
Speaking about the workshop chief guest H Prasanna, CEO of Udupi zilla panchayat said, “India is the 2nd highest consumer of tobacco which is known to cause millions of deaths every year due to cancer, yet it is being taken for granted. Deliberate steps need to be taken to control this issue. Workshops like this will create awareness about the importance of licensing and regulations. By controlling the supply of tobacco, we can create a health society."
Dr Monica C Solomon, dean of MCODS echoed these sentiments saying, “Tobacco induces a lot of harm not only on the consumers, but also to the people around them and the environment. Despite the presence of anti-tobacco laws there is unrestricted supply of tobacco by vendors to minors and youth. We arranged this workshop to highlight the importance of Tobacco Vendor Licensing as it will not just reduce availability and accessibility and stop the illicit trade of tobacco products but in the long run increase compliance, reduce early initiation and support current tobacco users to quit."
After the interactive sessions, the workshop involved a field visit to the tobacco-free village Kodi Bengre. The workshop is the latest initiative by MAHE to decrease the drug and tobacco consumption in Udupi district. They have also undertaken the Nasha Mukt Udupi Abhiyaan to make the region free of drug abuse..