‘Quit to Care’, a year-long campaign of the Kozhikode district administration to encourage people to quit the use of tobacco products, was launched on Friday on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day observance.
The campaign was inspired by the efforts of Sreelakshmi, a schoolgirl from Chevarambalam, who has been instrumental in making at least 200 people quit smoking. Sreelakshmi along with Tamanna, another student who took up anti-smoking campaigns, spoke about their mission through videos at an awareness programme organised by the District Medical Office.
Launching the drive, District Collector S. Sambasiva Rao said Quit to Care would be taken forward by students and other volunteers. “It encourages a person to quit smoking so that he could provide better care for their loved ones,” he observed.
Volunteers interested in being part of the campaign have been urged to register through a link provided on the District Collector’s Facebook page ‘Collector Kozhikode’. Mr. Rao expressed hope that the campaign would be able to get more than 90% of smokers in the district to quit smoking.
District Panchayat President Babu Parassery called for mass action against tobacco products. The awareness programme was organised with the help of Excise and police departments, besides Pratheeksha Cancer Care Centre.
Additional DMO Asha Devi presided over the function. Shanu and Amal V., winners of the poster-making contest organised as part of the programme, as well as Gokul S. Prasad and Benoy Bikram, winners of a short film contest, were felicitated on the occasion. Assistant Commissioner (Narcotics) K.V. Prabhakaran released a poster prepared by Pratheeksha Cancer Centre Centre. Prize winning short films You are My Mirror and Anu were screened later.
Arogya Keralam district programme manager A. Naveen and Deputy DMO Sreekumar Mukundan spoke.
‘Tobacco, lungs and health’ was the theme of the day this year.