Tag: Tobacco

Quitting Tobacco Strategy and Capacity Building – ICanCaRe Protocol

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.

Join the ICanCaRe community to #SAVEtheyouth www.facebook.com/groups/icancare.

(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)

 

REACH OUT FOR TOBACCO CESSATION

*Best Diwali Wishes I GOT TODAY! I feel elated!*

This Diwali is extremely satisfying, as I have now a good number of patients saved from getting cancer! The #SAVEtheyouth campaign with its components #knowtobacco & #chotadaana is off-course when a person gets cancer we can still save them, but it would be associated with morbidity, and compromised quality of life.

1. From a Lady Doctor, whose husband was a smoker for the last 22 years. They were celebrating their first No Cigarette Diwali. It had been a frustrating journey for her since her marriage, cajoling, persuading, quarreling, and nagging her husband to quit cigarettes. Not that her husband had not tried, he had but failed multiple times, and lost confidence that he would ever be cigarette free. In one of the meetings, she met me, and with difficulty we got her husband enrolled in the ICanCaRe Tobacco Cessation program. In the first intervention, he reduced the intake but could not sustain it and had a relapse. But the second intervention cycle was successful with intensive sequential therapy and regular motivation. Now it is going to be 4 months and he had not smoked a single cigarette. Feels stronger than before, less stressed, more stamina, more docile, and happier!

2. Second was from Mr. Satyabhan, 42 years old, a security guard, whom I had met at Qutub Minar around 2 years back. During the conversation, I found that he was chewing tobacco. And as a routine, I told him about tobacco and related cancers. Unexpectantly, he was convinced and he came over to the unit at MAX, Vaishali. On check-up, he was found to have a small cancer lesion on the lip, Submucous fibrosis, and dental lesions. He was treated in OPD. Excision of the lesion was done and medicines started. Today, he called me to wish me a happy Diwali, more than that, he was blessing me for saving him and his family.

When people call me back for what I might have done as my routine process, is the greatest gift for me. Their wishes and blessings motivate me to continue to do good for society. My SAVE the youth campaign is saving life, family, and money. I am happy many families will light happy diyas today!

*Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch.* Cancer Surgeon.

*Director, MAX* – PATPARGANJ, VAISHALI, NOIDA

Founder – ICanCaRe – TOBACCO #SaveTheYouth

9811290152

For Quitting Tobacco – Call 011-43077695

#icancare #winovertobacco #pawangupta #QuitTobacco #quitsmokingtoday #knowtobacco

Inner Wheel District 307 Kick Starts SAVE The Youth Campaign

EMPOWERING WITH KNOWLEDGE, COLLABORATING TO ENHANCE THE REACH with this in mind Dr. Satinder Nijjar led this meeting as the Chairman, involving all the club Presidents of her district. Tobacco is bad it is general knowledge now, but knowing about it deeply increases the power to convince others. Collaborating and piggybacking on experts can enhance our reach. Empowering so that one can in turn reach out to the masses is the way forward to controlling this dreaded disease.

Mrs. Sonal Bhatia Inner Wheel AC member who achieved the feat of 1000 tobacco Marshals during her tenure as DC of district 310 in 2021-22 showcased her achievement, and the enthusiastic response of presidents to get involved in SAVE the Youth campaign and become tobacco MARSHALs themselves.

The tobacco MARSHAL of 310 have extensively worked in society and conducted numerous programs themselves in their own unique way in their local area that including rallies, painting competitions, school programs, etc.

MIME and Poster making competition was showcased on the 29th of MAY 2022, followed by the National Debate on IMPACT OF WOMEN AS TOBACCO MARSHAL had national dignitaries grace the occasion had laid the foundation and deeper understanding of how to create impacts at the grass root levels. The Training of rural girls NCC cadets as MINI – TOBACCO MARSHAL and Teachers was one such step towards this goal.  But this is just a drop in the large ocean. The tobacco mafia with its willful clever surrogate advertisement is sending cues to the young minds and every day 5500 youths in India are inducted into this net of tobacco use. To control these more people have to rise against this TAMBAKU – ASUR and women are the ones who can do it. With this in mind, Mrs. Sonal Bhatia has raised her bar and intends to create 10000 TOBACCO MARSHAL amongst her inner wheel sisters.

Chief Guest, *Dr. Surjit Kaur*, Inner Wheel Association President and National Representative, herself a doctor said that the health of women should be the priority, a healthy-women means a healthy family, healthy generations, and a healthy society. Tobacco is a national Disaster causing deaths across all ages, all communities, and all social strata. It causes harm not only to the self but to the family, spouse, colleagues, and entire community. She congratulated Mrs. Sonal and Mrs. Satinder to take up this issue at a larger level. She was also really happy to get involved with ICanCaRe as they have the readymade program to escalate the same quickly at the higher level. As the President and National Representative for the Inner Wheel Club, she extended her full support for the program and urged Sonal to introduce the same in other districts as well.

Chief Speaker, *Dr. Pawan Gupta* M.Ch. Director Cancer Surgeon MAX and Founder ICanCaRe said that women are the most affected due to tobacco use in society. Women spite not consuming tobacco exposed to tobacco she is affected at the home, workplace, or even in the community. The effect is – health, social, financial, and much more. Women are the savior of their families, and the next generation as well. If she is empowered with the knowledge she gains the decision and intervention power. It is pertinent that women should rise against this product of MASS destruction. Stronger Women Make a Stronger World.

The inner wheel will rise as the main force in to fight against tobacco. Becoming Tobacco MARSHAL is a step towards this reckoning.

Sonal said she totally believes that inner wheel sisters will be the change makers for this cause and she would look forward to making 10000 Tobacco Marshals and urged all present to partner for this.

All the 140 participants enthusiastically looked forward to becoming tobacco marshals and contributing their bit to society.

To a question whether IW members should call doctors for school programs, Dr. Pawan Gupta said that once trained tobacco MARSHALs will themselves independently conduct school sensitization programs and ICanCaRe would equip them with all the necessary materials.

District Chairman from other districts also participated actively they were DC Leena Chandwani 315, DC Renu Agarwal 311, DC Rita Jha -District 325, DC Dr. P Shri Madhavi Devi, National Editor Veena Swamy 21-22. They support Sonal Bhatia to achieve a goal of 10000 Tobacco MARSHALs and work actively in their districts.

District Secretary Mrs. Manmohan Suri, read the Vote of thanks and Dr. Satinder thanked everyone and concluded the meeting.

Master Of Ceremony, *Mrs. Shruti Agrawal*, MBA, CSO ICanCaRe was praised for her apt conduct of the program.