Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
AIMS Mohali observes World No Tobacco Day with strong institutional commitment and youth-led advocacy
Babushahi Bureau
SAS Nagar (Punjab), May 31, 2024: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Mohali, observed World No Tobacco Day with a campus-wide rally and declaration of sustained anti-tobacco efforts under the theme “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.”
The day’s events included a rally led by MBBS students, nursing students, and security staff, starting from the District Hospital OPD.
Students displayed powerful posters, distributed educational materials, and took a written anti-tobacco pledge, reaffirming their commitment to a tobacco-free future.
Director Principal, Dr. Bhavneet Bharti, a paediatrician and staunch advocate of youth health, inaugurated the ‘No Tobacco Wall’ and formally declared the implementation of the 100-yard tobacco-free zone around the institute.
In line with government norms, red lines were visibly marked with the help of the engineering departments to indicate the area where sale of tobacco is strictly prohibited.
She raised concern about the increasing lure of vaping among adolescents, despite the national ban, and emphasized the ethical responsibility of health professionals to educate and intervene.
Significantly, Dr. Anuradha Nadda, from the Department of Community Medicine, has been at the forefront of the institute’s tobacco control initiatives for the past six months.She enrolled and trained student Tobacco Monitors, in accordance with national guidelines.
These monitors have not only discouraged the use of tobacco on campus but have also referred users to the Psychiatry Department for deaddiction support, ensuring a compassionate and multidisciplinary approach.
Security personnel have been equipped with designated collection boxes to prevent the entry of tobacco products into the hospital premises.
Going forward, AIMS Mohali will conduct biannual tobacco control activities, and complete the Self-Evaluation Scorecard for Educational Institutions, as recommended, to continuously monitor and improve its performance in sustaining a tobacco-free environment.
Other dignitaries who actively participated included Dr. Navdeep Singh Saini (Medical Superintendent), Dr. Parminder Singh (SMO, District Hospital), Dr. Amit Aggarwal (HOD Dentistry), Dr. Amrit Virk and Dr. Anuradha Nadda (Community Medicine), Dr. Ekram Goyal (Psychiatry), and Dr. Harmala (Dental Department).