ANTI SMOKING Camp held, 287 patients attend

Ludhiana: February 10, 2013: Sheela Dewan and Dewan Jagdish Chandra Memorial Charitable Society - Dewan Hospital held an “Anti Smoking Camp” here on Sunday.

In this camp lung capacity of the persons smoking cigarettes or biddies was checked free of cost.

Random blood sugar, blood pressure were also checked free of cost. ECG was also done free of cost for the patients in need of this investigation. 

A talk about bad effects of smoking was delivered by Dr Narotam Dewan to the gathered people. He said smoking does not only cause cancer in the smoker, it causes many other problems too such as it lightens the pocket without getting anything useful in return, reduces the supply of blood to the heat thereby causing heart attack and supply of blood to the feet causing them to shrink and develop ulcers, causes cancer in the near and dear ones by passive smoking, lung cancer, cancer of the mouth, throat, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and many other organs are very difficult and costly to treat and prove fatal in high percentage of persons suffering from these.

He showed the persons posters, pictures and videos of persons suffering from these harmful effects of smoking.

As  many as 287 patients attended the camp.

Observations:

?        The lung capacity was found effected and reduced in proportion to the years of smoking and number of biddies/cigarettes smoked/day.

?        Most of the persons were not completely aware of the harms of smoking tobacco.

?        All persons said that they know it may cause cancer but so many are smoking and not many are suffering from cancer so they are smoking.

?        No one knew that smoking tobacco can cause heart attack and reduces blood supply to the feet causing a disease called Burger’s disease.

?        Most were smoking to pass time and out of peer pressure.

?        If properly educated the people were willing to leave this potentially harmful habit.

?        Most had picked up smoking at the age of 15 to 20 yrs of age and continued to do so till now.

?        No body knew that they are making their children and wives passive smokers and exposing them to all the dangers of smoking.

 Acieviments:

?        Seventeen patients took the pledge to leave smoking instantly and threw away their biddies and match sticks/lighters

?        Three new patients of diabetes mellitus were discovered

?        Five new patients of high blood pressure were discovered

?        Drugs of blood pressure and diabetes mellitus were distributed free.

?        The objective of spreading the awareness about harmful effects of tobacco smoking and uselessness of this harmful habit on the persons and relatives was furthered. Neeta Dewan, President of the society said that the incidence of smoking in the lower socio-economic groups is very high and their awareness about its harmful effects needs inputs. She also said that some youth in the middle and higher socio-economic groups are getting into this habit as a fashion which is dangerous for their health. This camp was held in collaboration with Cipla and their representative Bharti Verma participated actively.