ISLAMABAD, (Parliament Times) : Awareness Session on the Harms of Sugar Sweetend Beverages was organized by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) and hosted by Sana Ullah Ghumman, General Secretary, PANAH.The event was attended by Munawar Hussain, Consultant Food Policy Program and Global Health Advocacy Incubators, National Consultant Ministry of Health Khawaja Masood, Civil Society and a large number of journalists are present.
PANAH General Secretary and Director Operations Sana Ullah Ghumman thanked all the guests and He said that media is one of the best and most effective means of raising awareness about deadly diseases.That’s why media friends are our eyes and our hands,It is through you that we are able to educate the people in the every corners of the country about heart and other deadly diseases. If it weren’t for all of you, we wouldn’t have succeeded in raising awareness, which was one of our goals.
Sana Ullah Ghumman said that about 80% of deaths due to non-communicable diseases are due to heart, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases. The purpose of today’s session is to raise awareness of the growing risks of diseases. One of the major causes of these diseases is the consumption of sugary drinks, the effective prevention of which is an increase in taxes.
Munawwar Hussain, Consultant Food Policy Program and Global Health Advocacy Incubators, said that excessive consumption of sugaryt drinks has become a major cause of non-communicable diseases,One of which is diabetes.Diabetes kills 1,100 people a day.In two years, the number of diabetics in Pakistan increased by 15 million.There are currently 33 million people with diabetes in Pakistan.Annual expenditure on diabetes in Pakistan increased to US 2640 million in 2021.Preventing them is important. Not just an increase in the number of diabetics, Heart, obesity, cancer, respiratory, gastrointestinal diseases are gradually increasing, The Diabetes Association of Pakistan has also supported raising taxes on sugary drinks in the country.
National Consultant Ministry of Health Khawaja Masood said that the growing number of diseases included in NCDs in Pakistan has become a major challenge for the health of the people. Diseases cost billions of rupees annually, which is a huge threat to our economy. Choosing a healthy diet can help significantly reduce disease and mortality. Excessive consumption of sugary drinks, salt and fat is one of the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Healthy food is essential for the people, children are our future. Obesity and overweight in children have doubled in the last seven years, but if left unchecked, diseases will increase.
Civil society representatives said that sugary drinks are not a sign of health.Non-communicable diseases are a major cause, which is detrimental to public health. We should be banned immediately, especially to protect our children and young people from the negative effects of sugary drinks.More than 50 countries increase sweet drink Tax,The Government should immediately increase the tax on sugary drinks to curb their consumption. And ban the use of ssb in educational institutions.