Srinagar, May 31: To mark World No Tobacco Day 2025, the Department of Public Health Dentistry, Government Dental College (GDC) and Hospital Srinagar, held a comprehensive sensitisation and counselling programme at the Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters, Batmaloo. The initiative aimed to raise awareness among frontline personnel about the severe health risks of tobacco use and to encourage cessation.
The programme was held under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Sandeep Kaur Bali, Principal/Dean of GDC Srinagar, and was a collaborative effort with the Health Centre of Fire and Emergency Services, Jammu and Kashmir.
More than 100 fire and emergency personnel attended the awareness seminar, where Dr. Aasim Farooq Shah, Head of the Department of Public Health Dentistry, presented a detailed session on the dangers of tobacco use, including its links to oral cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments. Participants were also offered one-on-one counselling sessions by specialists for tobacco cessation.
Deputy Director of Fire and Emergency Services, Mr. Raj Kumar, who presided over the event as chief guest, commended the effort and emphasized the need for such awareness programmes to be held regularly across service departments.
The initiative was jointly supported and supervised by Dr. Ibrar Bashir, Medical Officer Incharge at the Health Centre of Fire and Emergency Services.
In addition to the Srinagar event, the Department extended outreach activities to five peripheral centres—Sallar, Tangmarg, Fakir Gujri, Bagh-e-Islam, and Kalantra—where health talks, oral screenings, and tobacco awareness drives were conducted by dental professionals and community health workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Aasim Farooq Shah said, “Tobacco use remains one of the most preventable causes of death. Educating individuals, especially high-risk groups like frontline workers, is critical to combating this public health challenge.” He also highlighted the economic burden of tobacco-related diseases and acknowledged the visionary leadership of Prof. Dr. Sandeep Kaur Bali, under whose support the department has scaled up its outreach efforts. He announced plans to open new Tobacco Cessation Centres across the region soon.
The programme was well-received and praised by attendees and community members alike, reinforcing GDC Srinagar’s commitment to building a tobacco-free society through sustained awareness, counselling, and preventive health services.