Good health of the people is the real wealth of a country. The scourge of tobacco has become an impediment in every country’s march to development by heavily burdening the health system and making its human resources frail. Countries across the world are adopting measures to control tobacco consumption such as legislations, ban on advertisements and creating awareness.
During the Doha Healthcare Week, which is currently underway, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) highlighted the efforts of the State of Qatar to combat smoking. Qatar aims to slash tobacco consumption by 30 percent by 2022. While 31.9 percent of the male population in Qatar are smokers, 1.2 percent of the female population also has developed the habit.
Head of the Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Tobacco Control Centre, Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Mulla, said that the Ministry and health sector institutions are working on adopting a number of important initiatives aimed at encouraging people to stop smoking. He called on smokers to take advantage of the services of the Center for Smoking Control at the HMC, which is accredited by the World Health Organisation, and Smoking Cessation Clinics at Primary Healthcare Centres to help quit smoking.
MoPH, in cooperation with HMC and Primary Health Care Corporation, is implementing a national campaign to reduce the effects of smoking and the consumption of other tobacco products. The campaign encourages people to abide by the Tobacco Control Law and guides them to effective methods to quit the habit.
Qatar has adopted several measures to wean the country’s smokers from the bad habit such as the Tobacco Control Law, banning advertisement of tobacco products, imposing curbs on displaying and selling tobacco products, banning smoking in public places etc. But once people develop a habit, it will be a herculean task to come out of it whether it is smoking or any other habit. The best way to keep away from tobacco is never to start using it. So our focus should be more on school children, creating awareness among them about the ill effects of tobacco use, so that they never make it a habit.
Parents and elders must avoid smoking in front of children, not only because it will create a bad example, but also passive smoking can cause several diseases including cancer.
No matter how we smoke it, tobacco is dangerous to our health. There are no safe substances in any tobacco products, but acetone and tar to nicotine and carbon monoxide. The substance we inhale will affect our entire body leading to a variety of complications, which will have long-term effect on our health.
It is our duty to cooperate with the authorities in eradicating this menace from the country and play our part in the nation-building by taking a pledge to follow a healthy lifestyle.
