Latest news with #GlobalTobaccoControl
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
India's Health ministry gets Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control
New Delhi: India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was honoured with the prestigious Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control in the 'O' category, which recognises efforts in offering help to quit tobacco use under a policy package of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Given under the MPOWER strategy, the award was presented by Michael R Bloomberg during a ceremony announced late night on June 23 (local time) at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland. The award celebrates India's exemplary efforts in providing cessation support to millions of tobacco users. Alongside India, governments and NGOs from Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, the Philippines, and Ukraine were also recognised for their contributions to curbing tobacco use. "The achievements recognised today reflect what's possible when governments and civil society act decisively to protect health. These awardees have not only implemented proven tobacco control measures; they've also done so under complex circumstances including conflict and industry interference," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, who presented the award said, "We commend their leadership, their commitment to evidence-based policies, and their contribution to saving millions of lives. "The global tobacco control movement has helped save tens of millions of lives, making it one of the most successful public health efforts in history." He is also the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and the mayor of New York City. "Bloomberg Philanthropies has long worked closely with the World Health Organisation and others who are leading this vitally important work, and the winners of this year's Awards for Global Tobacco Control prove how much progress is possible," he said. India's recognition highlights the Modi government's approach through the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). The NTCP has established more than 675 tobacco cessation centres across district hospitals, delivering 1.35 million counselling sessions in financial year 2023-24. The National Tobacco Quitline Services (NTQLS), launched in 2016, supports 16 Indian languages with around 100 counsellors, handling 42,000 calls monthly. The mandatory display of "QUIT TODAY, CALL 1800-11-2356" on tobacco packs, as per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003, has boosted call volumes by more than 30 per cent. "India has been making consistent efforts to help people quit tobacco through the NTCP," said Dr Pratima Murthy, director and senior professor of psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in India. "This includes the establishment of tobacco cessation clinics, screening and intervention in primary care at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and establishing Cessation and National Tobacco Quitlines. "These comprehensive efforts indicate India's commitment to reduce tobacco use and promote public health. It is an absolute honour to receive on behalf of the Indian government the Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control in the 'O' category," Dr Murthy added. India's leadership includes banning e-cigarettes under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) 2019, setting a global standard, and mandating anti-tobacco warnings on OTT streaming platforms to protect the youth. Other award recipients include Mauritius for plain packaging, Mexico for its advertising ban, Montenegro for tax increases, the Philippines for surveillance partnerships, and Ukraine for smoke-free policies. During the ceremony, Michael R Bloomberg announced a 20 million dollars initiative to advance tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries, supporting governments and NGOs and bolstering India's NTCP efforts. This builds on the Bloomberg Initiative's success, saving 35.2 million lives and reducing cigarette sales by 820 billion since 2012. Tobacco use claims 1.3 million lives annually in India, or 3,500 daily. Yet, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) reports a six per cent decline in tobacco use from 34.6 per cent (2009-10) to 28.6 per cent (2016-17), a 17.3 per cent relative reduction. Integration with the National TB Elimination Programme and more than 300 cessation centres in medical and dental colleges reflect India's holistic approach.
GMA Network
25-06-2025
- Health
- GMA Network
Baguio feted 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for tobacco control
Baguio City has been bestowed the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award for Global Tobacco Control in recognition of its efforts to control tobacco use and protect public health. Joining Baguio City in this year's list of honorees are the Ukraine Committee on Public Health; the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India; the Ministry of Health and Wellness in Mauritius; the Mexico and Salud Justa Mx, Ministry of Health as joint awardees; and the Ministry of Finance in Montenegro. According to the Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards 2025 website, the annual recognitions celebrate the significant strides governments and non-governmental organizations have made in adopting and implementing best-practice tobacco control policies. Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong accepted the award during the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, Ireland on June 23, 2025. "The City of Baguio humbly and honorably accepts this recognition as a Global Tobacco Control Champion… This honor reflects our unwavering commitment to protecting public health through evidence-based policies and strong partnerships. Together, we have created a community-driven surveillance and education model that upholds every citizen's right to breathe clean air," Magalong said. "As we gather with global leaders in Dublin, we reaffirm our dedication to a tobacco-free future—not only for Baguio, but for all cities working toward health, equity, and sustainable development," he added. In a statement, the Baguio City government said the recognition highlighted its collaborations with medical schools and a public-private monitoring model tracking tobacco use. "The global tobacco control movement is helping save millions of lives and stands as one of the most successful public health efforts in history... This year's award winners demonstrate the real progress that can be achieved when evidence-based policies are implemented and enforced," Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies founder Michael Bloomberg was quoted by the city government as saying. "Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death, claiming more than seven million lives each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. Despite a global decline in smoking—from 22.8 percent in 2007 to 16.4 percent in 2023—over one billion people worldwide continue to smoke, as the tobacco industry invests billions in marketing, often targeting youth," Bloomberg was also quoted as saying. Baguio City was also a recipient of the Healthy Cities Award from the World Health Organization (WHO) under the category of "Sharing Clean Air: Committed to multi-sectoral implementation of smoke-free laws" in 2021. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
India among 6 countries conferred with Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control
India is among the six countries that received 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control for prioritizing tobacco cessation approaches to reach a significant number of tobacco users in the country. The National Tobacco Control Cell of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, was presented with the award at the World Conference on Tobacco Control held in Dublin, Ireland, on Monday. India was presented the 'O' category award for promoting tobacco cessation. The 'O' is the MPOWER policy package of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that stands for 'Offer help to quit tobacco use.' The awards celebrated several governments and NGOs making progress to reduce tobacco use. Among the other countries that received the award were Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Philippines and Ukraine. The WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report, developed with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was also launched on the occasion. In India, a whole range of services including tobacco testing labs and mobile cessation measures among others have been set up to reduce tobacco usage in the country. This includes a well established national toll-free quit line, handling around 50,000 calls per month and free cessation support services at primary care facilities and hospitals. Tobacco cessation services are provided at 675 district hospitals, 302 dental institutions, 361 medical institutions and across 607 non-communicable diseases (NCD) clinics, oral health clinics and community health centres. There are four quit lines at NIMHANS, Vallabhbai Patel Chest Centre, New Delhi, Tata Memorial Centre and Borooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati. Between 2007 and 2023, the global average smoking prevalence has reduced from 22.3 per cent to 16.4 per cent, a relative reduction of 26 per cent over 16 years. According to the report, the adult daily smoking prevalence in 2023 in India was at 7 per cent. While experts said that smokeless tobacco was a big concern in India, several steps have been taken to address multiple challenges. 'India has been making consistent efforts to help people quit tobacco through the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). This includes the establishment of tobacco cessation clinics in various locations (including dental and medical facilities), screening and intervention in primary care at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, establishing Cessation and National Tobacco Quitlines, integrating the NTCP with existing health services and national programmes, enacting legislation, providing training and awareness to healthcare providers, as well as public awareness campaigns,' Dr Pratima Murthy, Director and senior professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, who received the award on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told The Indian Express. 'Tobacco free youth campaigns and the TeleManas initiative also represent efforts to address the underlying reasons for initiation of tobacco use. These comprehensive efforts indicate India's commitment to reduce tobacco use and promote public health. It is an absolute honour to receive the award on behalf of the Indian Government,' added Dr Murthy. Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and injuries, presented the award. 'Since Bloomberg Philanthropies started supporting global tobacco control efforts in2007, there has been a sea change in the way countries prevent tobacco use, but there is still a long way to go,' said Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report reveals that the most striking gains have been in graphic health warnings, one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), that make the harms of tobacco impossible to ignore. At the award ceremony, Michael R. Bloomberg also announced a new $20 million Accelerator Fund to help advance progress in countries where tobacco control is stalled. Bloomberg Philanthropies will work with partners to proactively engage governments and NGOs in several low- and middle-income countries that either lack best-practice tobacco control measures or are close to implementing all best-practice measures. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
