CNS

Global meet underlines country-level progress on sustainable development

Key decision-makers and senior representatives of several constituencies are convening to review progress on the effective development co-operation (EDC) agenda and to discuss how to accelerate country-level progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

CNS Podcasts present insightful conversations on global health, gender and range of issues related to development justice, and politics (which is ultimate determinant of health)!

Because I realized (better late than never) that it is government’s responsibility to provide safe, convenient, affordable, accessible and humane ways of commuting for all its citizens. When governments fail on its duty then it hides behind the market forces, and co-opts itself in corporate agenda, enticing citizens to own, borrow, rent and use private vehicles to commute. Forcing people to own their own motorized vehicle (two wheeler, car, etc) is one of the most normalized form of privatization where government like ours has almost washed away its hands from being responsible for strengthening public transport system good enough so that no one needs a private vehicle.

Although 193 governments adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which warrant an integrated and multisectoral response to deliver on those promises, the progress has been lackadaisical in the past four years. A recent UN report has set an alarm on uneven progress on some SDGs and slipping on a few of the Global Goals in Asia Pacific region. Coordinated multisectoral response needs multidisciplinary action.

Shobha Shukla, CNS
More and more children around the world are now benefitting from fixed dose combination (FDC) of child-friendly medicines to treat drug-sensitive TB, thanks to the untiring efforts of TB Alliance (Global Alliance for TB Drug Development) and its partners, including World Health Organization (WHO), for making these drugs go from development to delivery stage.

Tobacco use: Sucking the youth from the youngsters

Dr Sophia Thomas, CNS Correspondent, India

I met Somu (name changed) during one of my dental outreach camps in the outskirts of Bengaluru city. He was a bright 14-year-old boy, who wanted to grow up to be a police officer. Upon examination, Somu was found to have stains on his teeth, suggestive of smoking tobacco.

Killer Tobacco: A production or a consumption problem?

Beryl Osindo, CNS Correspondent, Kenya

Ending tobacco consumption and production is imperative to the attainment of health justice. It is probably the only solution to the reduction of tobacco-related illnesses that kill a whopping 8 million people annually.

Implementing tobacco control laws in Nigeria is a necessity

Ekwi Ajide, CNS Correspondent, Nigeria

Despite being a major risk factor for many non-communicable and other diseases tobacco use has been on the rise in Nigeria. Also, as tobacco consumption is socially accepted in the country, it makes matters worse.

End tobacco is imperative for health justice

Manjari Peiris, Sri Lanka
(First Published in Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/Thailand on June 5, 2019)

The Citizen News Service (CNS) hosted a webinar on ‘End Tobacco is an imperative for health justice’ with a panel of experts to celebrate the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2019. The panel of experts included, Dr. Kerstin Schotte of the WHO, Professor Rama Kant, President Lucknow College of Surgeons, Professor Surya Kant, Head of Respiratory Medicine Department, King George's Medical University, and noted cardiologist Professor Rishi Sethi.

2019 World No Tobacco Day Podcast: #EndTobacco is an imperative for SDGs

This podcast features luminary experts on tobacco control and public health, who discuss why ending tobacco epidemic is vital to deliver on UN Sustainable Development Goals. This special Podcast produced around World No Tobacco Day 2019, feature following experts: Dr Kerstin Schotte, World Health Organization (WHO); Prof Rama Kant, WHO Director General's WNTD Awardee, founder leader of Vote For Health (formerly Indian Society Against Smoking); Prof Surya Kant, Head, Respiratory Medicine Department, King George's Medical University (KGMU) and President, National College of Chest Physicians; Prof Rishi Sethi, Cardiology Department, KGMU and Cardiological Society of India (CSI)'s Executive Committee; Dr Ishwar Gilada, President of AIDS Society of India and Governing Council member of International AIDS Society (IAS).

Family support is crucial for diabetes care

Dr Amitava Acharrya, CNS Correspondent, India

Photo credit: CNS (Durban, South Africa: 2017)

Human health is an equilibrium condition of physical, mental and social health. Traditionally, human beings are a group of socially dependent mammals where family and society have a major role in the development of human behavior, morality, ethics and the way of life. This becomes all the more pronounced in countries like India, where a strong traditional and cultural bond runs in its milieu.

[Watch webinar recording] [listen to Podcast] More than 7 million people die due to tobacco use every year. Every tobacco-related, untimely death could have been averted, and every tobacco-related disease, prevented. Tobacco is also a common risk factor for major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as world's biggest killer cardiovascular diseases (CVDs including heart disease and stroke), cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, etc, which account for over 70% of deaths worldwide.