Andhra Pradesh stands first in reduction of tobacco consumption
The state was felicitated on Monday by the National Resource Centre for Oral Health and Tobacco Cessation, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi under the aegis of the National Oral Health Programme (NOHP)
By Sulogna Mehta Published on 7 Nov 2023 12:13 PM GMT
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Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh has secured the first position in tobacco cessation programme 2023, which was initiated on May 31 (World No Tobacco Day 2023) and continued till August 15. The state was felicitated on Monday by the National Resource Centre for Oral Health and Tobacco Cessation, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi under the aegis of the National Oral Health Programme (NOHP).
Dr Evuru Prasanth, AP State nodal officer, NOHP, received the award on behalf of the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department from the health secretary, Delhi Dr SB Deepak Kumar and additional DG NOHP Dr Swasti Charan. The event was held at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi.
Dr Prasanth also participated in the workshop on ‘Revolutionising Tobacco Cessation through Technological Intervention in India,’ aimed at promoting tobacco cessation by dental health professionals. The workshop focused on the use of digital technologies as sustainable solutions for scaling up tobacco cessation strategies across India. Training of oral health professionals in these digital technologies will strengthen the reach of their cessation services.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Government of AP, Vidadala Rajani, special chief secretary M T Krishna Babu, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare and MD National Health Mission J Nivas appreciated the health officials for achieving this prestigious award.
The Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services appreciated its counterpart in the AP government for efforts made in creating awareness towards tobacco-free India and creating a benchmark and inspiration for others to follow towards strengthening tobacco control in India.
Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences has been recognised as the National Resource Centre for Oral Health and Tobacco Cessation (NRC-OH-TC) since May 2021 under the National Oral Health Programme, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. The National Resource Centre is supporting the NOHP cell in developing, implementing and advancing the scope of dental health professionals in tobacco cessation for addressing patient care, research and capacity building and integration in dental education.
