HMC, govt strive to smoke-free campus

LANI ROSE R DIZON

DOHA with the number of young people using tobacco products on the rise in Qatar, officials of the health and education sectors are stepping up their efforts to 100 percent smoking – free schools in the country, said head of non-smoking cessation clinic of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Dr Ahmad al Mulla.

Speaking to Qatar Tribune on Sunday, Mulla said in addition to the recent implementation of ban on electric cigarettes and cigarette packs without pictorial health warnings in Qatar market, authorities will intensify efforts to prevent the sale of cigarettes at shops located in the vicinity of schools.

"There is an ongoing effort to create 100 percent non-smoking-smoking public places, including shopping centres and parks. With a bunch of children smoking in schools, efforts should be stepped up to schools a 100 percent smoke-free zone. We try to work with the Ministry of education to prevent smoking on campus. Many schools now refuse to hire a teacher who smokes. This is not a policy, but it happens under the competence of the individual security principals, "said Mulla.

He said recent studies by the national health strategy showed that a quarter of the boys and 13 percent of girls age 13 and 15 years use tobacco products in Qatar, adding that 13% of the young people who have never smoked said they are likely to start smoking next year.

Mulla pointed out that about 36 percent of the entire population in Qatar of Qataris and non-Qataris, including, smokes.

"We have shifted focus of emphasis on the dangers of smoking to promote the benefits of quitting smoking. International studies indicate that a person who has smoked since his teenage years and stopped smoking before the age of 35, almost as long as people who have never smoked will live, "he said.

According to Mulla, people who want to quit smoking to do not usually because they lack awareness about the availability of the facilities such as the smoking cessation clinic and smoking in workplaces, schools and other public spaces.

"It is very difficult to quit smoking for two groups of people, young people between 12 and 16 years and patients with mental health problems. Treatment of a young smoker is difficult because there are not enough alternative medicines to give them. For psychiatric patients, withdrawal symptom could lead to their depression when they start to quit smoking.

So it's a complicated situation to give them the medicines available but we treat each case separately, "he said.

Mulla said 35 percent of the patients who come to the clinic are success in quitting smoking.

"Treatment usually lasts two to three weeks from the beginning of the medication. Usually, if they don't stop smoking within the first three weeks, it would be difficult to completely stop later. Many of them cannot stop completely but can immediately reduce their tobacco use.

Those who stop within two to three weeks usually have the best results, "Mulla added.

The non-smoking cessation clinic of HMC four times a week and receives about 60 patients per week.

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