Medical College Consortium Virtual Meeting – June 2026: From Activities to Action – Strengthening Tobacco-Free Institutional Commitments (Activity Code: 2.1.2)

A virtual meeting of the Medical College Consortium was convened on 11 June 2026 from 3:30–5:00 PM via Zoom under the leadership of Prof. (Dr.) Sonu Goel, President, Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (RCTC), PGIMER Chandigarh. The meeting brought together nodal representatives from all 22-member medical colleges of the Consortium, a national network established in 2024. During the meeting, member institutions presented their World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026 Activity Reports, highlighting activities conducted, participants reached, and key outputs. These reports will be compiled by RCTC into a consolidated Consortium Activity Report. The meeting also provided updates on ongoing publications, report releases, and the development of capacity-building courses under the Consortium. Four key action points were formalized for all member institutions: (i) uploading a Conflict of Interest (COI) Declaration on their official websites; (ii) declaring and implementing Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) status in accordance with the revised Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines; (iii) submitting pending WNTD 2026 Activity Reports to RCTC at the earliest; and (iv) organizing at least one state-level webinar on a tobacco control theme by November 2026. These collective efforts reaffirmed the Consortium’s commitment to fostering tobacco-free campuses and strengthening evidence-based tobacco control initiatives across India.