The severe economic burden of secondhand smoke exposure in India has been emphasized in a study published in the Journal of Nicotine and Tobacco Research. According to the survey, secondhand smoking costs the Indian economy Rs 567 billion in health care costs each year.
On top of the Rs 1,773 billion in annual economic cost from tobacco use, this accounts for 8% of total annual healthcare expenditures. For the first time, the data put light on the financial burden secondhand smoke has on the country’s healthcare system. This primarily impacts India’s most vulnerable populations, such as women, youth, and low-income people.
Researchers used public data sources and a prevalence-based attributable risk approach to estimate the cost of healthcare for nonsmokers aged 15 and up who continue to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the Rs 567 billion amount is merely a part of the entire economic costs. It excludes the extra indirect economic costs of lost productivity and mortality caused to disease and early death caused by secondhand smoke exposure, which would raise the final amount even further.
Secondhand exposure remains significant, according to health experts, in part due to gaps in India’s smoke-free law, which still allows designated smoking zones in public places. The report suggests that laws be strengthened to better protect nonsmokers from the health and financial impacts of secondhand smoking.
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