WHO honours PGI Chandigarh's Tobacco Control Resource Centre for public health contributions

Chandigarh: In recognition of its sustained efforts to strengthen tobacco control in India, the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC) at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has been conferred the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director's Special Recognition Award.

The award acknowledges the centre's contributions to digital public health, generating evidence, policy support, and capacity building in tobacco control.

The award was presented at the WHO Country Office in New Delhi. The recognition honours institutions and individuals for outstanding contributions towards advancing tobacco control through innovation, digital public health, evidence generation, and policy support.

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Prof. Sonu Goel, President of the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control and Professor in the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, received the award from Dr. Yvan J.F. Hutin, WHO Country Representative (Director) for India, reports The Tribune.

Established in 2018, the Resource Centre for Tobacco Control was conceived as India's first dedicated digital knowledge repository for tobacco control. The centre was created to support the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) by providing a centralized platform containing tobacco control legislation, government notifications, policy documents, implementation guidelines, circulars, educational resources, and technical reference material.

Over the years, the centre has expanded its role beyond knowledge dissemination by organising more than 80 national and regional workshops, webinars, consultations, conferences, and summits. These initiatives have helped train nearly 19,000 professionals, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to implement evidence-based tobacco control measures across the country.

Speaking after receiving the recognition, Prof. Sonu Goel said the centre was established with the objective of making reliable tobacco control information readily accessible to everyone involved in protecting public health. He noted that the initiative has evolved into a national platform connecting policy research, capacity building, and innovation.

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