Abhay Bang to Deliver PGI Annual Public Health Lecture

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 26^th July:- PGIMER’s 4^th Annual Public Health Lecture will be organized by School of Public Health on 27^th July, 2017 at 10 AM in Lecture Theatre 1 of its Nehru Hospital. This annual event marks the foundation day of School of Public Health in PGI. The Institute has a tradition of inviting an eminent public health personality to deliver the prestigious oration and inspire young students and faculty of the Institute. This year’s lecture will be delivered by Dr Abhay Bang, Director, Society for Education Action and Research in Community Health (SEARCH), Gadchiroli, Maharashtra who will speak on “How to reduce tobacco and alcohol use in population? Story of a district pilot in Gadchiroli”. In the past years, this oration has been delivered by Dr Richard Cash - Director of the Program on Ethical Issues in International Health in the Department of Global Health & Population of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston; Dr Ravi Narayan- Community Health Advisor, Society for Community Health Awareness, Research and Action (SOCHARA), Karnataka; and Dr M. K Bhan, Former secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and presently president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER).

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) act as key barriers to poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Tobacco use and alcohol are two major modifiable risk factors of NCDs. Recently, GATS-2 survey in 2016-17, has shown that 28.6% of Indian population above age 15 use tobacco in any form. Reduction in tobacco use and alcohol by 30% and 10% respectively by 2025 is one of the major global targets set by World health Organization. In light of this, Dr Abhay Bang will be presenting the success story of achieving the reduction targets in his pilot district and will deliberate on the strategies to control the alarming prevalence of these two modifiable risk factors for NCDs.

The lecture will be attended by eminent professors and doctors from various departments of PGIMER, health and police officials from neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, members of non-governmental organizations and staff of other neighbouring universities. Novel programs and schemes being implemented in their respective states for reduction of tobacco and alcohol menace will be shared for cross-learning.