This Op-Ed by Dr. Nandita Murukutla, Country Director, India, and Director for Global Research, Policy Advocacy and Communication Division of Vital Strategies was published by Mid-Day.
The debate about graphic health warnings (GHWs) on tobacco packs should be of urgent interest to every person who wants to see India achieve its economic potential. India currently loses 6 per cent of its annual GDP to preventable illnesses and premature deaths. Chronic diseases caused by tobacco use — heart disease, cancers, chronic respiratory illness and diabetes — are responsible for 60 per cent of deaths, 40 per cent of hospital stays and 35 per cent of outpatient visits.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that ill health pushes 2.2 per cent of Indians into poverty each year. The Harvard School of Public Health found that chronic diseases would cost India $4.58 trillion in economic losses by 2030. And yet, the latest National Family Health Survey shows that there are still millions of tobacco users in India.
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