Tobacco users may end up on a hospital bed, wasting his life savings on treatment of cancer and cause injuries worse to their families, writes Banjot Kaur Bhatia after meeting with some of them.
“When I was ill, and my illness was diagnosed as cancer, it was a shock to me. However, most of the injury is the fact that I lost my voice, which was my personality “, KV deputy director said, adding:” Every morning when I wake up, the thought that I had exhausted all of his life savings on my medication makes me feel as if I have committed a crime against my family. “
Singh gave his tragic story and made a passionate appeal to one and all, to avoid tobacco, speaking at the national meet with tobacco, organized in Delhi recently, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), Baltimore (USA), in collaboration with the Union of India Ministry of Health.
Smoking kills, they say. Although he was not killed in Muzaffarnagar Amit Baliyaan, he certainly ended up being this 27-year-old, who once dreamed of being Sachin Tendulkar. Smoking and chewing tobacco for four years cost him his gums while his language developed blisters. Instead of the field, he landed in Mumbai hospital, where he underwent radiation therapy, and then in Delhi hospital for future sessions - all together, with cost of about RS 6 lakh. In addition, Amit abandoned hope of a career in cricket and is now pursuing bachelor of physical education.
Back home in Bihar, 43-year-old Girdhari Agrawal is another example. As an employee of lubricant company, he earned Rs 3,500 a month, which was hardly enough for his family, including three young daughters. Native Chhapra today saddled with a huge loans that he had taken to treat cancer, which has been put over his mouth “Zarda” it is consumed with betel for two years.
It was a really small mouth ulcers that turn into cancer, and forced him to make rounds and Chhapra Patna doctors. Finally, he was handed over to Mumbai for treatment, which has cost him Rs 5 lakh and the saga is not over, because he will visit Mumbai every six months during subsequent sessions. “Saari salary ke taraf ek mein hi rail bhaare Chali jaati hai (all of my salary I just bought a one way ticket),” he said. That apart, he must live with a deformed mouth throughout his life.
Dilip Kumar is equally tragic story. This has been a resident of Biharsharif “khaini” addict since he was 15 years old. In 25 years, half of his tongue had to be removed surgically.
Today 38, Kumar case is a perfect example of how much tobacco can cause injuries to the family. Dilip was diagnosed with oral cancer shortly after the birth of his first child, a daughter. Thing had to stay with his wife’s parents, as a young couple travel to Patna and Mumbai, in most cases, the treatment of Kumar. “The separation of the child is never a happy choice for any mother. But my husband needs me more,” the distraught wife said, tears welling in her eyes, on behalf of her husband, as he can not speak properly.
Kumar plywood business was completely destroyed. “With our family and friends, denial of care, under the pretext that it was a problem of self-invited, taking credit was the only option,” said his wife.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2010, while 34.6% of people in India use tobacco in smoke or smokeless form, this figure in Bihar, reaches 53.5%. Turning to the EP on the phone, the voice of Tobacco Victims (VOTV), founder and noted oncologist Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai said: “As soon as someone starts to receive tobacco cessation difficult. Thus the arguments of tobacco companies that its consumption it is a matter of personal choice is a complete fraud, because the user becomes a captive of this habit. “He wondered how the policy would allow the sale of the product under different pretexts, or otherwise, which is proven carcinogen.
According to Dr. Mahima Singh, head of chemotherapy Mahavir Cancer Sansthan-Patna, if a smoker develops cancer and other tobacco user does not, the explanation lies in the immune system of the person concerned. “You can develop cancer within six months of tobacco use someone else for 10 years, and some may never,” she said.
