PESHAWAR, May 31: The government has failed to enforce a law banning use of tobacco in public places, owing to lacklustre attitude of the law-enforcers.

This was one of the views expressed by speakers at a one-day seminar organised by the NWFP chapter of the Pakistan Chest Society and NWFP Diabetic Association to mark the World No Tobacco Day here on Monday.

Irrespective of government commitment to ban smoking in public places, the menace continued unabated, which can be well evidenced by a survey, which showed that 40 per cent males and eight per cent females used tobacco, said a local chest physician.

"About 27 per cent male and five per cent of the female students of the University of Peshawar have reportedly indulged in tobacco use, which should cause alarm bells among the government and the people", he said.

According to him, the survey had been carried out this year, which showed increase in the number of tobacco users among the students. He said that tobacco use not only caused health hazards, but also deprived students of the money, which their parents give them for education.

He said that quitting tobacco use was the only option with its users to be on safe side from the cancer, heart-related, chest and lungs ailments. The doctor expressed concern over the reluctance of both law enforcing agencies and health professional, who didn't fulfil their responsibilities to put brakes on tobacco use.

He was of the view that 90 per cent tobacco smokers visit the clinics of the doctors in connection with their diseases, but the doctors do not bother to inform them about the ill-effects of tobacco smoking.

Health Minister Inayatullah Khan cited verses from the Holy Quran saying that all types of narco-drugs had been prohibited in Islam. The minister spoke about the double standard of the participants and the speakers, who according to him delivered strong-worded speeches on the occasion of celebrating international days, but practically done nothing.

"Henceforth, we have utterly failed to convince the health workers that smoking was a bad habit and they continued to smoke in the hospitals, which was harmful for the health of the patients", said he.

He directed the officials of the health department to initiate disciplinary action against all those doctors, paramedics who were found indulging in smoking cigarettes within the premises of hospitals, BHUs and RHCs.

Mr Khan also raised the issue of cultivating tobacco crop in some districts and believed that in Swabi, Mardan, Buner and Charsadda, the commodity was their main cash crop and in case they were banned from its cultivation then it would be hard for them to earn two square meal for their families.

According to him, the farmers should be informed about the negative impacts of tobacco cultivation and be persuaded to cultivate alternative crops. However, he said this could be done through creating awareness amongst the general masses.

The government, he said had allocated a handsome amount in the next fiscal year with a view to raising the awareness level of the general public. He said under the scheme the mosque pesh imams would be requested to educate the masses about health issues, such as polio, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS in their Friday sermons.

Dr Arshad Javaid, Dr Mukhtiar Zaman Afridi and Dr Saeedul Majeed also spoke. Meanwhile Director General Health Services Dr Jalil ur Rehman delivered a message of WHO regional director Dr Hussein A. Gezairy. In his message Dr Gezairy said that money spent on tobacco is money not spent on basic necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.

In low income households this may mean the difference between an adequate diet and malnutrition, and between education and illiteracy. He further said that in some countries of the region over 10% of scarce resources in low income household are spent on cigarettes or other tobacco products.

The WHO official further said that at country level, enormous economic losses from tobacco consumption and cultivation. Tobacco-related, he added, diseases result in decrease of productivity and high health care costs.