Nagaland is seeking to make tobacco cessation support more accessible by training healthcare personnel to help patients quit tobacco during routine healthcare visits, reducing reliance on specialised cessation clinics.
The Department of Health and Family Welfare, under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), organised a state-level capacity-building workshop for master trainers in collaboration with Vital Strategies, New Delhi, at the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare in Kohima on Friday.
The initiative aims to make brief advice on quitting tobacco a routine part of primary healthcare services across the state.
Speaking at the event, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare S Tainiu said tobacco cessation should move beyond occasional awareness campaigns and become an established part of everyday healthcare.
“By incorporating brief advice into routine consultations, we can make tobacco cessation an accessible and continuing part of the services our health system provides,” she said.
Guest of Honour Dr Keveduyi Theyo said limited manpower at specialised tobacco cessation clinics restricted the number of people who could receive support, making it necessary for frontline health workers to play a greater role in helping patients quit.
He urged district teams to develop clear action plans, establish referral mechanisms between health programmes and strengthen monitoring to ensure the training translates into results.
The workshop also emphasised coordination between primary healthcare services and programmes dealing with tuberculosis, non-communicable diseases and mental health.
During the event, officials released two training publications: the Facilitator’s Guide for Training of Health Workers on Tobacco Cessation and the Nagaland Reference Manual for Health Workers. The materials were jointly developed by Vital Strategies and the state NTCP team.
State NTCP Nodal Officer Dr. I. Simon Sumi outlined the training objectives and the status of tobacco cessation services in Nagaland.
Technical sessions led by Dr. Upendra Singh Bhadauria, Technical Specialist (Cessation) at Vital Strategies, covered brief advice during patient consultations, links between tuberculosis and tobacco use, and monitoring frameworks.
The workshop concluded with presentations of district action plans, discussions and the distribution of certificates to participating healthcare officers and master trainers.
The department said the initiative aims to strengthen tobacco cessation support through primary healthcare services across Nagaland.