Newer Strategies for Tobacco Cessation – 6th IAPSM NEZCON

PRESS RELEASE – October 14, 2023

ICanCaRe’s Participation at the 6th IAPSM NEZCON at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh

The ICanCaRe Academy was prominently represented by Dr. Pawan Gupta at the 6th Indian Association of Public and Social Medicine North East Zone Annual Conference held at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh.

ADVISE QUIT TOBACCO CAMPAIGN

Dr. Pawan Gupta, M.Ch. in Surgical Oncology and Founder Director of ICanCaRe, along with his role as Senior Director of Surgical Oncology at MAX Institute of Cancer Care, is a MASTER trainer for Tobacco Cessation Intervention in India. He’s a pioneer in promoting Tobacco Cessation intervention within the medical community and beyond. Dr. Gupta’s #advisequittoabcco campaign urges healthcare professionals to tackle the root cause of various diseases by motivating patients to quit tobacco through the “ASK, ADVISE, and REFER” approach to a Tobacco Cessation specialist. Dr. Gupta emphasized that no disease can be fully cured if the patient continues to consume tobacco. It is both a moral responsibility and ethical practice for all healthcare professionals to incorporate Tobacco Cessation.

NEWER STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE QUIT RATE TO 100%

During his talk on “NEWER STRATEGIES FOR TOBACCO CESSATION,” Dr. Gupta presented how the #ABCDtobaccocessation approach has achieved a 100% quit rate. The ICanCaRe Tobacco Cessation protocol, which includes specific medicines and a holistic approach with active intensive follow-up, has proven successful in helping patients quit tobacco. Dr. Gupta also demonstrated TrisCaRe the innovative mouth-opening device for betel nut users.

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR TOBACCO CESSATION INTERVENTION

The #ICanCaReAcademy (www.icancare.in/academy) is dedicated to capacity building for Tobacco Cessation Intervention and has called upon IAPSM to collaborate in creating a significant impact on society. The #SAVEtheyouth initiative encompasses 360 interventions, targeting all aspects of society for effective tobacco control in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recognizing tobacco as a complex disease and the root cause of numerous health issues, ICanCaRe’s capacity-building program aims to reach across India through the #SAVEtheyouth campaign. The SAVE the Youth program involves sensitizing against tobacco, assisting users to quit through a digital protocol intervention, building a network of Tobacco Marshals, Tobacco Ambassadors, and Tobacco Cessation Specialists, and enforcing a tobacco-free society.

Dr. Gupta’s extensive research has led to the establishment of a simplified digital Tobacco Cessation protocol, and he is also the author of several books on this subject. Through the ICanCaRe Academy, over 1,000 doctors have been trained on successful ICanCaRe protocols for effective tobacco quit programs.

ICanCaRe extends its gratitude to the organizing team of the 6th IAPSM NEZCON, especially Dr. Suneela Garg and Dr. Tulika Goswami, for the invitation to this enlightening conference.

This event provided a valuable opportunity to meet and discuss collaboration with stalwarts of the PSM community, including Dr. Ajit Kumar De, Dr. Dabadeep Kalita, Dr. Rashmi Ahmed, Dr. Sthapana Sharma, Dr. KMS Mech, Dr. Ship Shekhar Datta, Dr. Manoj Balaji Patki, Dr. Subhajit Bora, and Dr. Subrata Baidya from various Medical Colleges of the North East. They expressed enthusiasm for the ICanCaRe protocol and its potential to significantly impact.

COLLABORATION WITH IAPSM

Dr. Purushottam Giri, National Secretary of IAPSM, acknowledged the promising beginning and stressed the importance of propagating and refining the developed interventions. He encouraged the adoption and dissemination of proven methods to combat the challenging addiction to tobacco.

Several young doctors at the conference expressed interest in learning and implementing the ICanCaRe protocol in their future practice, highlighting the promising future of the #ICanCaRe initiative for a tobacco-free society.

#ICanCaRe #ICanCaReAcademy #PawanGupta #SAVEtheyouth #TobaccoFree #TobaccoMarshal #CTCS #OCTC #NEZCON #TulikaGoswami #IAPSM  #TobaccoCessation #TobaccoCessationIntervention #CapacityBuildingForTobaccoCessation l