In Pakistan, Minister of Health Saira Afzal Tarar received an award from the WHO for ‘outstanding work in fighting the global tobacco epidemic’. During her tenure, Minister Tarar has presided over legislation enforcing stricter bans on tobacco advertising, formation of a working group for tobacco tax reforms, and most recently legislation requiring all tobacco packaging to feature graphic health warnings across 85 percent of the surface area. Sadly, due to pressure from the tobacco industry, enforcement of this powerful new law has been delayed by two months. It had been due to come into force on World No Tobacco Day.
First GATS survey shows 85+ percent support smokefree public places
The country’s first Global Adult Tobacco Survey [GATS] was released at a well-attended press conference. GATS is a vital tool, developed by WHO, for tracking the status of the tobacco epidemic, and the impact of tobacco control measures within a country. The survey revealed 32 percent of men and 6 percent of women use tobacco daily, and that 69 percent are exposed to second-hand smoke in the workplace. Over 85 percent would support a ban on smoking in public places, and 75 percent favoured increasing taxes on tobacco products.
Services to Tobacco Control award for Union advisor
The Senior Superintendent of Islamabad’s Traffic Police and his department demonstrated ongoing support for tobacco control enforcement. They committed to ensuring all public vehicles are smokefree, ran a three-day public awareness campaign, and inaugurated their own headquarters as a smokefree zone. An award for Services to Tobacco Control was given to The Union’s technical advisor in Pakistan, Fouad Aslam, as well as key staff at the civil society group, Smokefree Islamabad.