According to foreign reports, Blue Veins and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), a local non-profit organization in Pakistan, is the largest tertiary medical institution serving the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, "Jointly organized a provincial seminar on the emerging use of new tobacco and nicotine products, including heated tobacco products (HTPs), their impact on public health, and the response measures needed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province."

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The seminar, held on Sunday, aims to highlight the public health impacts associated with the emergence of new nicotine and tobacco products.

Healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and representatives from different organizations and government departments attended the seminar.

Speakers for the seminar included experts in the fields of tobacco control and public health. They presented the latest research findings on the harmful effects of heated tobacco products and discussed the potential risks for users and non users.

Speakers and participants at the seminar called for the immediate prohibition and regulation of the use and marketing of Velo, e-cigarettes, heated non burning HTP tobacco, and other smokeless tobacco products to safeguard the best interests of public health in the province.

The workshop also emphasized the importance of implementing policies and regulations that restrict the use and marketing of heated tobacco products.

Participants agreed that further research is needed to fully understand the long-term health effects of these products, and that health authorities should not rely on facts and research provided by the tobacco industry.

Dr. Sumaira Bakhtiyar, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Dr. Shumaila, Resident Pulmonary Doctor, Dr. Nudrat Gul Physical Therapist, Dr. Shehryar Khan PGR Cardiologist, Dr. LRH, Department of Psychiatry, Laila Noushad, Assistant Professor of Dr. Sufyan Khaliq, and Dr. Waseem Janjua, SDPI Tobacco Control Expert, delivered speeches and discussions.

The Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights and Relief, Mohamed Imran Khan, and the Assistant Commissioner, General Misba Wahid, stated that the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province is committed to curbing the illegal trade and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products. As a society, we need to be vigilant about the marketing strategies used by the tobacco industry to promote these new products.

Dr. Nek Dad, Director of Public Health at the General Directorate of Health Services (DGHS), said that the rise of new tobacco products and HTPs is worrying because these products are not without their own health risks. It is important that we make the public aware of the potential hazards of these products and strive to establish policies that restrict their use and marketing.

"The evidence is clear: New tobacco products and HTPs are not a safe alternative to smoking," said Tariq Barki, vice president of LRH Hospital. They may sell like this, but science tells a different story. We need to put public health above corporate profits and take action to protect people from the harmful effects of these products.

"Health experts and social activists are committed to promoting public health and raising awareness of the risks associated with heating tobacco products, and we will continue to work together to educate the public and policy makers about the dangers of these products," said Blue Veins, project manager at Qamar Naseem.