Aarupadai Veedu Medical College hosted a range of events in observance of World No Tobacco Day.
The Tobacco Control Cell at Aarupadai Veedu Medical College organized a series of events towards “World No Tobacco Day 2024 “on May 31, 2024, under the leadership of Dr. Lakshmi Jatiya, VP-Student Affairs, as Chairperson, and Dr. Bhuvaneswary S as Convenor. The event included participation from faculty members across various departments, MBBS student representatives, and non-teaching staff. Planned activities encompassed slogan writing, awareness sessions for engineering and medical college students, and factory workers, a signature campaign, suggestions for quitting smoking, and a quiz competition for postgraduates.
Dr Rakesh Sehgal, Dean of AVMCH, inaugurated the activities at Christ Engineering College, Pondicherry. In collaboration with the National Resource Center for Tobacco Control, PGIMER, Chandigarh, guest lectures were conducted. Dr Sitanshu Shekar Kar, Head of the Department of PSM at JIPMER and Convenor of the National Tobacco Regulatory Forum, MOHFW, lectured on “The Curious Case of Tobacco Control,” and Dr Sivaraman Ganeshan, Head of ENT at JIPMER, lectured on “Tobacco Control Interventions.” Additionally, oral screenings and tobacco control interventions were conducted in outpatient clinics of various departments.
Dr. Hareesh, Assistant Professor at AVMCH, distributed Tobacco Cessation IEC Pamphlets. Awareness sessions on the Risk Factors and Health Problems of Tobacco usage were conducted by Dr. Adeethan at CK Engineering College, Cuddalore, and by Dr. Kavya at VMCN. A Signature Campaign on “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interferences” and a Selfie booth Campaign were also organized at Vinayaka Mission’s College of Nursing, Pondicherry.
The Department of Dentistry conducted oral screening activities for patients with tobacco-related habits throughout the month, benefiting 34 patients. The Department of Pulmonary Medicine sensitized and counselled patients and attendees regarding various forms of tobacco products. Dr. John Dinesh, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, delivered a guest talk on “Say No to Tobacco and Yes to Life” among staff and workers of TANFAC Industries, SIPCOT, Cuddalore. Community and student awareness programs were also conducted.
Dr. Sivaraman Ganeshan, Head of ENT at JIPMER, gave a guest lecture on Tobacco Control Interventions organized by the Department of ENT for UG and PG students and faculties, with approximately 200 participants. All UG and PG students actively participated in the event, submitting their entries through WhatsApp. The best three slogans were selected after plagiarism checks and were awarded certificates and gifts on May 31, 2024. The activities were supported by institute funding from AVMCH.
Event Documents
