A treating doctor’s moral responsibility is to guide the patient to quit tobacco of any form. Second malignancy can be avoided. The same should be enforced each time the patient comes for a follow-up.
Call ICanCaRe Quitline 011-43077695 for a medically validated intervention to quit tobacco. Or visit any of the nearby ICanCaRe tobacco Cessation centers for intervention.
In another first, KIET is now the first technical Institute in the Country to train and to have TOBACCO MARSHALs on the campus.
The management of the Institute recognizes the fact that tobacco is destroying the youth and their future, this issue has to be addressed and inculcated into the minds of all the youths joining technical Institutions from the beginning. For this purpose, the KIET group of Institutions has partnered with ICanCaRe to enforce a tobacco-free zone at KIET.
KIET now has many firsts when it comes to TOBACCO Control
First Tobacco MARSHAL of India – Dr. Pravesh Singh
First Institute to launch a Club specifically for tobacco control – EK PRAYASS club
First Institute under AKTU to initiate TOBACCO Sensitization during Induction program for the first year with VC as Chief Guest.
In the words of the Director, Dr. A. Garg – “Youths are the future of tomorrow, their health is of prime importance in the Country. Tobacco is the biggest killer of the present era, unknowingly students get into this vice. We at KIET wish to create awareness as part of the SAVE the youth campaign. With Tobacco MARSHAL on the campus, it is going to make a difference in society.”
Dr. Pawan Gupta founder of ICanCaRe “TOBACCO MARSHALs are a deterrent against tobacco use on the campus. Tobacco control is a program in the continuum, it has to be persistent efforts and not a once-a-year program.”
Mrs. Sonal Bhatia the women leader for SAVE the youth campaign – “TOBACCO MARSHALs are the influencers in society, they are the SAVIOURS. It is a prestige and a recognition of personal social responsibility.” Sonal Bhatia is an Association Council member of the World’s Largest Women’s Organization – INNER WHEEL Club. She says, “Women are the biggest sufferer due to tobacco – health, social, financial, sexual, and family life is destroyed due to tobacco use by spouses. Every woman should be a TOBACCO MARSHAL”.
Dr. Reena Kumar, Academic Director of ICanCaRe warned – “BE CAREFUL and FEARFUL of the tobacco users around you, BE SMART and DO NOT START, EMPOWER yourself as TOBACCO MARSHALs. SAVE yourself and save others. It is so much welcome to have tobacco MARSHAL at KIET and it will set an example for other Institutes of the University.”
Dr. Rakesh Gupta, President Sipher, talked about being careful for new gadgets like e-cigarettes which are enticing the youth. They are banned in India and severe punishments are in force under the PECA law.
Dr. Pawan Gupta suggested the following as mentioned in his book – “HOW TO MAKE A INSTITUTION TOBACCO FREE” and ICanCaRe as a complete solution provider for TOBACCO Control and Cessation-
TOBACCO MARSHALs on the campus
The book – Be SMART DO NOT START is made available to everyone
APP – ICanCaRe free download for all
Making ORAL CARE and TOBACCO knowledge hub available in the medical department, and an annual check-up made compulsory for each student and faculty.
A rolling trophy under the aegis of AKTU for all the technical colleges under the university.
ICanCaRe five-point pledge sums it all up for the present and the future:
Refuse to take tobacco
Refuse to be a friend of tobacco user
Refuse to marry a tobacco user
Refuse to employ a tobacco user
Refuse to work with a tobacco user
Honorable Vice-Chancellor of AKTU – Dr. Pradeep Kumar Mishra – was highly appreciative of the steps taken by the KIET group of Institutions to SAVE the youth. This is the right way for the betterment of self and society”. He lent his support to the cause and encouraged other Institutes also to go ahead with this program.
Prof. Dr. O.P.Singh, Dean of Student Welfare, thanked all the participants and speakers for the well-conducted scientific program.
The program was well organized by – Dr. Pravesh Singh, Chairman Ek PRAYASS, and her team.
Moderated by Arunita Mukhopadhya, and Sugandha Singh.
Quitting Tobacco Strategy and Capacity Building – ICanCaRe Protocol
Quitting tobacco is frustrating. And for a healthcare professional it is a challenge! Every day whatever discipline one is practicing, tobacco users, do visit your clinic. Most of the symptoms the patient has are also related to tobacco use – smoking, chewing, or vaping. The outcome of treatment is compromised if the person continues to use tobacco, thus losing trust with the patient.
It is also seen that a doctor who addresses the issue of tobacco with the patient and goes the extra mile in guiding the person to quit tobacco gains instant recognition from the patient and family. By doing this the doctor does gain directly and indirectly better value in society and definitely more clientele.
268 million people in India use tobacco in some form. The numbers are increasing every day. WHO reports that 70% of educated people who have taken tobacco for a substantial time wish to quit tobacco. They try it unsuccessfully by themselves and frustrated look for support from medical professionals. Medical professionals need to be skilled in tobacco cessation.
I am an Oncosurgeon, practicing for 27 years now. 70 % of my patient are tobacco addicts, as is the case with all other medical professionals, except a few branches. My initial intervention was restricted to just asking the person to quit tobacco. Beyond that I did not know, referring to the psychiatry department was not agreeable, and more importantly, the low quit rate was not acceptable. So, my journey into tobacco cessation began with a deeper understanding of the psychosocial and physical patterns of tobacco addiction and coming up with a successful ICanCaRe intervention model. ICanCaRe launched a comprehensive tobacco control program as SAVE the Youth Campaign.
QUITTING TOBACCO – is now easy
Tobacco addiction is multifactorial. The skill lies in assessing each of the components and balancing the issue with the patient. The intervention is individualized and is not a copycat prescription for all. The most important roadblock for every patient is the “Fear of Failure”. ICanCaRe incorporated all the components into digital format http://app.icancare.in and made it simple, scalable, and saleable. The balance lies in managing withdrawals, cravings, suffering, societal pressure, and managing medical issues. This intervention process is simplified as “ABCD of Tobacco CESSATION” which is Active Motivation, Behavioural intervention, Co-morbidity management, and Drugs and medications like Nicotine-Acetylcholine receptor agonists and supplements.
ICanCaRe E-pharmacy for tobacco medications is available to ensure timely doorstep delivery of the medications to ensure compliance. And more recently multilingual virtual clinics have been introduced to help guide remote patients. Quit tobacco is now just a call away – 011-43077695.
The ICanCaRe standardized protocol for cessation has been designed, piloted, and implemented to help individuals quit any form of tobacco and smoking with ease. This protocol is tailored to suit the individuals’ needs and habits so that adapting to the tobacco-free routine is easy and simple. More details are available at www.icancare.in/quittobacco.
Quitting tobacco is now available, feasible, and effective!
CAPACITY BUILDING – ICanCaRe Academy
Capacity building is the absolute need of the hour so that the HCPs are readily available across every corner of the country to offer help for a cessation to their patients. Every hospital needs to establish a dedicated cessation center with a dedicated team to offer assistance in quitting and oral examination.
ICanCaRe Academy – introduced the Certified Tobacco Cessation courses accredited with GUJARAT UNIVERSITY to train doctors and health care workers across India. Lots of trained skilled HCP and Tobacco cessation clinics are needed across India. Tobacco MARSHALs in society are trained influencers who motivate people to SAVE the youth. www.icancare.in/academy
The pillar of success for the program lies in visibly, available skilled and networked Health Care Professionals following a reproducible digitalized intervention for a successful outcome.
At ICanCaRe we are committed to SAVE the youth by sensitization, assisting them to quit, Volunteer Training, and Enforcing tobacco control.
ICanCaRe is here to stay with its innovative 360-degree intervention for tobacco cessation.
Collaboration and synergizing together are the way ahead to putting an end to this pandemic. ICanCaRe is open for collaborations with institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and tech-based institutions to amplify cessation across the country.
(The Author – Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. He authored the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognized for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the convenor for the Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation at Gujarat University. He launched the #SAVEtheyouth campaign and Tobacco MARSHALs in the community)