Aster CMI Hospital launches Smoking Cessation Clinic

Bengaluru: In an effort to increase awareness on health risks associated with the usage of tobacco, Aster CMI Hospital has launched a Smoking Cessation Clinic to aid people in quitting the harmful habit. The Smoking Cessation Clinic will be held on all Fridays, from 4-5 pm at Aster CMI Hospital in Hebbal.

People who wish to quit smoking and consumption of other tobacco products will undergo a detailed evaluation during this session. The clinic will analyse the severity of their addiction and will assess their current lung-function. A smoking cessation clinic can be an easy and effective way to treat tobacco use and dependence. The clinic will provide consultation from doctors and offer both counselling and pharmacological options to those who are attempting to stop tobacco use. It will provide intensive treatments to smokers who are motivated to quit smoking and aims to ensure a high success rate among the people who are addicted to tobacco use.

Speaking on the launch of the clinic, Dr Sunil Kumar K, Lead & Senior Consultant, Interventional Pulmonology, Aster CMI Hospital, said: "As per a recent report by Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2, in India currently 28.6% (266.8 million) of adults aged 15 and above are addicted to tobacco in some form or the other. The study further highlights that among these individuals, 24.9% (232.4 million) of the adults are daily tobacco consumers while 3.7% (34.4 million) are occasional consumers. This research also highlights that every tenth adult in India smokes tobacco which indicates how tobacco use is fast becoming a cause of concern for the country. Tobacco use has now become a leading cause of premature deaths and has become a major public health challenge. Even though many people are aware that tobacco use can increase the risk of cancer, however, there are still a lot of gaps on the other associated risks which this harmful habit can trigger. Therefore, with the launch of this Smoking Cessation Clinic, we at Aster CMI Hospital are strengthening our commitment to expand the reach of preventive healthcare and play a greater part in helping the public in curbing this illicit habit and enable them to take back the control of their lives."

According to reports, every year, globally, the month of November is observed as the Lung Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness about this menacing disease and to provide aid to those who are suffering from it. With over two million new cases detected every year, lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and people who smoke regularly are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Therefore, as the number of incidences are increasing every year, prevention has become more important than cure and only through proactive actions and regular interventions taken to increase public awareness, we as a society can put a complete stop to smoking and consumption of tobacco.

Sharing his views, Dr. Srivatsa Lokeshwaran, Consultant - Interventional Pulmonology, said: "The Covid-19 crisis has made us realize the importance of living a healthy life. Recent studies have highlighted that smoke affected lungs find it harder to fight the coronavirus which makes smokers vulnerable to the virus. Smokers are currently at a much higher risk of developing a severe disease with Covid-19. Thus, for smokers and people who are addicted to tobacco, the pandemic is perhaps the best time to start afresh and quit smoking. The beneficial effects after quitting smoking can be felt as early as 20 minutes where one's elevated heart rate and blood pressure drops. Furthermore, within 2 to12 weeks, both the blood circulation and lung function improves and after 1-9 months coughing and shortness of breath decreases. After 10 years, their risk of lung cancer also falls to about half and the risk of many other cancers is reduced. Tobacco cessation can certainly benefit an individual's health and can also have an overall benefit on the country's economy by reducing the burden on healthcare expenditure."