Qatar's Public Sector Healthcare Staff to Observe 'World No Tobacco Day'

Doha, May 30 (QNA) - Qatar's public sector health professionals will encourage people to stop using tobacco products as part of their campaign to observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) said Wednesday. The WNTD is observed by the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative every year on 31 May. This year, Qatar's health professionals from Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), are stepping up their efforts to persuade people to quit smoking by warning about the dangers of not just cigarette, but also 'shisha' (hookah or smoking through water pipe) smoking as well as chewing 'sweeka' (a type of local tobacco which is chewed by many young people). HMC's Smoking Cessation Clinic Head Dr Ahmad Al Mulla said, "Studies have shown that tobacco is a leading cause of preventable death globally and the effects of tobacco related illnesses place a great burden on healthcare services." Extensive research has proven that regular tobacco use commonly leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer particularly lung, larynx, mouth and pancreatic, the HMC said. Some less known facts about the harmful effects of nicotine include that male smokers are more likely to suffer from impotence compared to non-smokers. Nicotine is also a significant factor in miscarriages among pregnant smokers and contributes to other threats to the health of the fetus such as premature births and low birth weight. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine, which is a highly addictive psychoactive drug, in the tobacco causes physical dependency. This makes it more difficult for many smokers to quit the habit. The Smoking Cessation Clinic has developed many programmes to provide support and counseling for patients who wish to give up smoking. Nicotine replacement therapy using nicotine patches is one of several other options offered to patients. "At the Smoking Cessation Clinic at HMC, we receive many patients who come to us for help in dealing with their nicotine addiction," said Dr Al Mulla. "We focus not only on cigarettes but also on other ways of using tobacco that are prevalent in the Middle East, such as shisha. Smoking shisha leads to more nicotine intake in the body and typically smoking one shisha is equated with smoking one pack of cigarettes, so it is important for us to deal with this issue," he added. Staff from the smoking cessation clinic at Hamad General Hospital advice visitors about how to stop smoking; CO2 level will be measured. Visitors can get their blood pressure, blood sugar, height and weight checked while seeking advice from health professionals. As part of its social responsibility mandate, the Smoking Cessation Clinic at HMC also conducts informative talks on a regular basis in schools and to employees of companies, the HMC said. (QNA)