Kohima: Nagaland is moving tobacco cessation services out of specialized clinics and directly into primary care. The Department of Health and Family Welfare held a capacity-building workshop in Kohima on October 23. It aims to make brief advice on quitting a standard part of every routine patient visit.
Special guest S Tainiu, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, kicked off the event. She stressed that local clinics must treat cessation as a permanent, accessible service rather than an occasional campaign. "Primary healthcare workers interact with individuals at all stages of life. By incorporating brief advice into routine consultations, we can make tobacco cessation an accessible and continuing part of the services our health system provides," Tainiu stated.
Health officials released two new documents to guide the effort. The Facilitator's Guide for Training of Health Workers on Tobacco Cessation and the Nagaland Reference Manual for Health Workers provide the framework for the initiative. These were developed by the state National Tobacco Control Programme and Vital Strategies.
Manpower remains a major hurdle. Guest of Honour Dr. Keveduyi Theyo noted that specialized clinics cannot handle the scale of the problem alone. He argued that every health worker needs to step up to support patients. The state plans to loop in Community Health Officers, the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, and the National Mental Health Programme to keep the momentum going.
Technical specialist Dr. Upendra Singh Bhadauria led sessions on measuring results and strengthening the links between tuberculosis treatment and tobacco use. The workshop finished with district teams presenting their specific action plans and receiving training certificates.
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