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Mumbai: A Mumbai-based doctor and a health activist are among those honoured by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with a special award for their accomplishment in the area of tobacco control, as part of the "World No-Tobacco Day" celebrations being held on Saturday.
They are Dr Surendra Shastri, professor and Head, Department of Preventive Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), and Bobby Ramakant, an anti-tobacco activist and member of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). Both have been recognised for their efforts to curb tobacco consumption in the South-East Asia region.
Shastri has a long list of tobacco-control achievements, among which his work in the city of Mumbai across a cross-section of society is worth reading about. Through the TMH, he has organised tobacco awareness programmes all over Mumbai and the countryside - not missing an opportunity to reach out to the masses, whether they are rail commuters at railway stations or school and college students. Special target groups such as taxi and autorickshaw drivers, rail and road transport employees, police personnel, street children, women in remand homes and prisoners were also covered through intensive awareness programmes.
He is currently spreaheading the "Smoke Free Mumbai Campaign" along with the Public Health Department of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, as a prelude to the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health to be held in Mumbai in February 2009.
Model
At the national level, Shastri designed and set up the first WHO supported "Tobacco Cessation Clinic Study" in India in 2002 at the TMH and his model was adopted by the WHO for other centres in the country. He was honoured in July 2006 by the American Cancer Society for his contribution to cancer control worldwide.
He has worked exclusively on cancer control programmes and strategies for the last 11 years. Ramakant, on the other hand, has been writing on health and development since 1991 and is also the recipient of WHO Medal, Athens (1996), Pandit P.N. Mishra Young Journalists' Award (2000) and several international awards.
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