By Ademola Adebayo
President
of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of
Nigeria (AGPMPN), Dr. Frank Omo-Ehijele Odafen, said over five million
people die worldwide as a result of tobacco intake.
He disclosed this
on Thursday in Abuja at a press conference organized in commemoration of
the Family Doctors' Day while quoting a World Health Organization (WHO)
report.
This year's theme was tagged: "Smoking Cessation and the Family."
The association
urged the federal government to put some wholesome laws in place which
is expected to protect non- smokers in order to stem the tide which has
killed approximately half of long- term smokers when compared to age
mortality rates faced by non-smokers.
"Government should
institute high taxation on tobacco products. It should equally ban
smoking in public places and transport systems. The National
Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), should run advertorial on TV and radio
to discourage smoking, government should disallow all commercials
advertising or promoting smoking in the media - print and electronic and
endeavour to provide social rehabilitation centers for those willing to
give up smoking," he said.
He called on
government to legislate that every family should have a family doctor,
while urging family doctors in Nigeria to rededicate themselves to the
service of the family and society.
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