Nagaland trains master trainers to integrate tobacco cessation advice into primary healthcare services across the state.
DIMAPUR — The Department of Health & Family Welfare, under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP), in collaboration with Vital Strategies, New Delhi, organised a state-level capacity-building programme for master trainers to integrate brief tobacco cessation advice into primary healthcare services in Nagaland.
The programme was held at the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare in Kohima on Friday, a DIPR report stated.
The initiative aims to systematically integrate brief advice on tobacco cessation into routine primary healthcare delivery across the state, making support for quitting tobacco more accessible to patients during regular consultations.
Speaking as the special guest, Secretary of Health & Family Welfare, S Tainiu, stressed the need to move tobacco cessation beyond occasional campaigns and establish it as a routine component of healthcare services.
“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,” she said.
Tainiu also highlighted the importance of coordination among healthcare programmes, including Community Health Officers (CHOs), the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPNCD), and the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP).
Guest of Honour Dr. Keveduyi Theyo emphasised that tobacco cessation could not depend solely on specialised clinics and psychologists, given the constraints in available manpower.
He urged participating district teams to develop clear action plans, establish referral mechanisms across programmes, and strengthen monitoring systems to ensure that the training translates into measurable outcomes on the ground.
During the programme, two training publications were officially released: the Facilitator’s Guide for Training of Health Workers on Tobacco Cessation and the Nagaland Reference Manual for Health Workers.
The publications were jointly developed by Vital Strategies and the state NTCP team to support healthcare personnel in implementing tobacco cessation interventions.
State Nodal Officer of NTCP, Dr. I Simon Sumi, outlined the objectives of the training and provided an overview of tobacco cessation services in Nagaland.
The day-long workshop featured technical sessions conducted by Dr. Upendra Singh Bhadauria, Technical Specialist (Cessation) at Vital Strategies.
The sessions focused on scaling up brief tobacco cessation advice during patient interactions, strengthening linkages between tuberculosis care and tobacco cessation, and developing monitoring frameworks.
The programme concluded with presentations of district action plans, discussions, and the distribution of certificates to participating healthcare officers and master trainers.