Islamabad:The rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Pakistan has become a serious threat not only to public health but also to the national economy. More than 2,400 people die every day in Pakistan due to NCDs, accounting for nearly six out of every ten deaths. A heart attack occurs every minute in the country.
Approximately 43 per cent of adults suffer from hypertension, which is 10 per cent higher than the global average. Each year, around 130,000 people die from cancer, while more than 185,000 new cases are reported annually in Pakistan. Additionally, nearly 1,100 people die every day from diabetes-related complications.
Tobacco use and its products are a major contributor to this crisis, causing thousands of deaths annually and causing billions of rupees in economic losses. The annual healthcare cost of tobacco-related diseases is estimated at Rs615 billion, while the revenue generated from tobacco is peanut in comparison for the lives of our children.
As a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), Pakistan is obligated to implement effective tobacco control measures. These include the placement of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging. Under FCTC guidelines, Pakistan is required to regularly enhance and rotate these warnings on cigarette packs. Unfortunately, there has been no progress on this critical measure for the past six to seven years.
Secretary General Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) Sana Ullah Ghumman while talking to media said that in response to this situation, we formally raised the issue with the Ministry of National Health Services. Subsequently, the Ministry prepared a summary, which, after vetting by the Ministry of Law, was submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC). The summary successfully completed all required stages and was approved, after which it was forwarded to the Federal Cabinet for final approval, he said.
The Secretary General PANAH further elaborated that according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Information, all summaries presented in the Cabinet meeting following CCLC approval were approved. However, the official minutes later revealed that the summary regarding pictorial health warnings had, in fact, been rejected, said Ghumman.
He added that to understand the reasons behind this decision, PANAH made multiple attempts to contact the relevant authorities. In the absence of any response, PANAH formally wrote to the Cabinet Secretary and subsequently sent a reminder. To date, no explanation has been provided--raising serious concerns about transparency, he said.
