ACI Cumballa Hill Hospital, Asian Cancer Foundation, Hopscotch Health introduce solution to beat tobacco addiction

Mumbai-based ACI Cumballa Hill Hospital and Asian Cancer Foundation has joined hands with health tech startup Hopscotch Health to design a structured programme called ‘Tobacco Minus’, for tobacco users for over a period of six months. The tailor-made programme consists of monitoring via a smartphone app, consultations, and counseling sessions.

Dr Ramakant Deshpande, Onco Surgeon and Chairman, Asian Cancer Institute, highlighted, “According to the World Health Organization, (WHO), tobacco kills more than eight million people each year. Over seven million deaths are a result of direct consumption, whereas 1.2 million is the result of passive smoking. It is the need of the hour to help people overcome tobacco addiction via cessation programmes. Tobacco dependency invites a plethora of health problems such as lung and oral cancer, tooth and gum diseases, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, heart disease, oral infections, bronchitis and even gastrointestinal issues.”

He added, “The ‘Tobacco Minus’ programme will make it easy for doctors and counsellors to keep track of the health of the patients. Stopping nicotine usage can cause withdrawal symptoms and that can also be managed through this programme.”

Varun Deshpande, Director, Hopscotch Health, said, “The ‘Tobacco Minus’ programme is a six-week quit plan, that will guide a tobacco user towards quitting tobacco through in-person consultations with psycho-oncologist and a smartphone app that monitors the user’s craving and moods. The app can perform daily check-ins, provide daily inspiration or information on coping strategies and request information from the user to personalise their experience further. The user can notify the app if they’re feeling a craving, in order to receive a mitigation strategy based on established coping strategies.”

“The app has been designed using insights from the forefront of behaviour change and technology development. It is a testament to the power of technology to help people lead healthy lives, more effortlessly. We’re proud to partner with ACI Cumballa Hill Hospital to reduce the burden of tobacco-related deaths, and improve the quality of life of patients,” concluded Deshpande.