Centre to frame smokeless tobacco specific policy: Azad

CHANDIGARH : Noting that 26 per cent of the total population is chewing cancer-causing tobacco, the Centre today said it was formulating a smokeless tobacco specificpolicy. So far the Health Ministry's anti-tobacco programmesrevolved around cigarettees...there is another monster as 26 percent of the population is using smokeless tobacco withpotential to create cancer, Union Health Minister Ghulam NabiAzad said inaugurating a block of HSJ Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital of Panjab University here.
Quoting a survey by a reputed international agency, hesaid around 35 per cent adults of the total population were smoking. It is shocking that out of this total 35 percent population, 26 percent are consuming smokeless tobacco, Azad said adding eighty percent of oral cancer was a result of chewing tobacco. Azad said only nine percent of the population was smoking cigarettees and bidi. With the smokeless tobacco having the potential tocreate 80 per cent of oral cancer, the Health Ministry is formulating a policy which is smokeless tobacco specific, Azad said.
Azad said according to a survey between 60 to 65 years of age 12 percent of population lose its teeth and more than 30 percent population lose its teeth over 70 years of age.
Tobacco is one of the contributory factors in loss ofteeths as well, Azad said adding the role of dentistry was far behind the implantation. Azad said the thrust of the Health Ministry was to produce more MBBS doctors and bring sweeping changes in the Medical Council of India. He said the Ministry had last year decided to set up10 centers of excellence in para medics.