With rising tobacco use among youth, the medico-experts stressed that cessation interventions must become a public health priority

Chandigarh : In a significant step towards strengthening India’s tobacco control efforts, SIPHER, in collaboration with ECHO India, organised certificate programmes in tobacco cessation for both healthcare professionals and non-medicos, marking a strategic shift towards wider, technology-enabled capacity building.

The sessions included the Induction Program in Tobacco Cessation (IPTC) for medical professionals and the Promotional Program in Tobacco Cessation (PPTC) for non-medicos, with a focus on equipping participants with practical tools to address tobacco addiction at the grassroots level.

Tobacco: A growing global and national health crisis

Inaugurating the workshop, Dr Manoj Sharma, Professor, Community & Public Health, Panjab University, and Dr Sandeep Bhalla, Vice President (Projects), ECHO India, underscored the alarming scale of the tobacco epidemic, noting that it causes nearly 8 million deaths globally every year, with the burden expected to rise further by 2026.

They highlighted that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the brunt of tobacco-related mortality, often exacerbated by aggressive marketing and industry interference. With rising tobacco use among youth, the speakers stressed that cessation interventions must become a public health priority.

They also referenced India’s legislative and programmatic response, including the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, and the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) launched in 2007–08, while pointing out that cessation support remains a weak link in the WHO’s MPOWER strategy.

Virtual outreach to scale impact

Dr Rakesh Gupta, President, SIPHER, said that while several IPTC and PPTC programmes have previously been conducted in physical mode, there is now a pressing need to expand reach through virtual platforms.

He noted that the collaboration with ECHO India aims to connect with a wider network of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and stakeholders across regions. He emphasised the critical role of HCPs in tobacco cessation—ranging from brief counselling and prescribing cessation therapies to connecting users with quitlines and ensuring follow-up support to prevent relapse.

Expert insights: From addiction science to intervention

The workshop featured a series of expert-led sessions covering the full spectrum of tobacco cessation:

• Ms Mamta Thapa, Project Manager, Balaji Sewa Sanstha, Uttarakhand, shared field-level experiences on delivering brief advice interventions to tobacco users.
• Dr Paridhi Modi, ECHO India, elaborated on the health and economic burden of tobacco, explaining how nicotine addiction and its vasoconstrictive effects contribute to a wide range of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
• Dr Sunita Malik, Professor (MDS), GMC Sonepat, highlighted the importance of oral screening protocols, noting that smokeless tobacco accounts for nearly 90% of oral cancer cases.
• Dr Abhishek Ghosh, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER Chandigarh, discussed the science of tobacco addiction, including methods to assess dependency levels using tools such as the Fagerström Index.
• Dr Rakesh Gupta, Onco-surgeon and Senior Tobacco Cessation Specialist, Rajasthan Cancer Foundation, Jaipur, provided a comprehensive overview of behavioural therapy, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), and pharmacological interventions, emphasising that effective cessation requires a combination of counselling and medication, along with sustained support to manage withdrawal and prevent relapse.

He also highlighted the long-term vision of achieving a “tobacco endgame” by 2030, focusing on reducing both consumption and dependence on non-therapeutic nicotine.

Building capacity, measuring outcomes

To ensure measurable learning outcomes, participants were provided with study materials along with pre- and post-assessment questionnaires, enabling organisers to evaluate knowledge gains and training effectiveness.

Towards a tobacco-free future

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that capacity building across both medical and community stakeholders is essential to bridge the gap in tobacco cessation services. By leveraging digital platforms and expert-led training, SIPHER and ECHO India aim to create a multiplier effect, empowering professionals and volunteers alike to combat one of the country’s most persistent public health challenges. With structured training, policy backing, and community engagement converging, such programmes signal a more coordinated and scalable approach towards achieving a tobacco-free India.