Vice-Chancellor Dr. H.K. Agarwal administers De-addiction pledge at PGIMS

Rohtak, May 30, 2026: Dr. H.K. Agarwal, Vice-Chancellor of Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, administered a pledge against substance abuse to the gathering—including employees and students—during a World No Tobacco Day program held on Saturday.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. H.K. Agarwal attended the event as the Chief Guest, which was organized under the joint aegis of the Departments of Community Medicine and Psychiatry at the Ch. Ranbir Singh OPD within PGIMS.

While administering the pledge, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Agarwal stated that substance abuse has a detrimental effect on every part of the human body. Tobacco damages the lungs, clogs the arteries of the heart, impairs brain function, and multiplies the risk of cancer manifold. Substance abuse affects not merely a single individual, but their entire family and society.

The Vice-Chancellor urged those present to take this awareness campaign to every village, every school, and every home. Citing global research, VC Dr. Agarwal noted that more than 40 million children worldwide are victims of substance addiction. Children are increasingly gravitating towards cigarettes and e-cigarettes, a trend that is extremely dangerous. Parents and teachers must work together to keep a watchful eye on the children.

Registrar Dr. Roop Singh said that tobacco harms not only the lungs but also the bones. In heavy smokers, bone fractures take longer to heal. Chronic smokers experience a depletion of calcium in their bones, thereby increasing the risk of fractures. Director Dr. S.K. Singhal remarked that tobacco hollows out the body from within. Dr. Ramesh Verma observed that the addiction to smoking is currently rising rapidly among the youth. Major contributing factors include social media influence, stress, and the tendency to start smoking by imitating peers.

Dr. Siddharth, In-charge of the Drug De-addiction Center, stated that a special clinic is conducted every Saturday to assist individuals in quitting tobacco, offering both medication and counseling services. Dr. Varun Arora, In-charge of the Public Relations Department, informed that during the event, students created posters conveying anti-tobacco messages and raised awareness—through street plays—regarding cancer and premature death caused by tobacco consumption.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. H.K. Agarwal honored all participants by presenting them with certificates. Dr. Neelam Kumar, Dr. Meenakshi, Dr. Preeti, Dr. Purushottam, Dr. Vinay Rawat, Dr. Sunila, and other staff members were present on the occasion.