NMC asks medical colleges to start tobacco cessation centres, form ‘Nasha Mukt’ hostel committees

NEW DELHI: In an effort to make India drug-free, the medical colleges across the country have been asked to set up tobacco cessation centres on their campuses and implement “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan” (drug-free India campaign) by forming committees and organizing student awareness activities.

The Union ministry of health and family welfare, in partnership with the National Medical Commission (NMC), is holding a seminar today from 2 pm to 3:30 pm on establishing and managing the TCCs. It is mandatory for all medical institutes to attend the seminar. The centres will be officially launched by the health minister during the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 2.0.

“These centres will be critical in advancing public health by assisting individuals in quitting tobacco use and thus reducing tobacco-related diseases,” said NMC secretary B Srinivas in an official notice. NMC ordered that all the centres should start operating as soon as possible.

Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan

For the drug-free campaign, the medical colleges have been asked to form Nasha Mukt Hostel committees, schedule annual activities, conduct awareness programmes for students, faculty, other staff, and submit an action-taken report. The departments of social justice and empowerment and higher education asked NMC to undertake the following activities as part of the campaign.

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“This initiative aims to combat the menace of substance abuse through mass awareness, counseling, treatment, and care in educational institutions, as well as the formation of a Nasha Mukt Hostel Committee in all colleges/institutions,” the NMC notice read.

The departments have provided the detailed guidelines regarding composition of the committee, roles and responsibilities of its members, list of activities under the campaign, “structured” approach for continuous support to students in hostels, and the requirements for the submission of the action taken reports.

“In light of the above, all deans/principals of medical colleges/institutions are requested to take proactive steps to implement the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan in their respective medical colleges/institutions and submit the action taken report to Sh Aujender singh , Memb secy, Anti Ragging cell,” NMC told colleges.