Ras Al Khaimah Doctors Call for More Anti-smoking Measures

During the meeting organised by the Department of Primary Health Care in coordination with the Department of Health Education and Information at the RAK Medical District in Ras Al Khaimah recently, doctors discussed the various means that would help in the eradication of smoking among the people in the emirate.

Dr Mohammed Amin, director of Primary Health Care at the RAK Medical District said that under the new anti-smoking medical strategy, there was an urgent need to establish more smoking cessation clinics.

These units are to be used for training and equipping the medical staff with more anti-smoking skills, the need to conduct more anti-smoking awareness drives and adopting comprehensive policies to curb the use of tobacco products.

Around 60 doctors and nurses from the different Health Care Centres in the emirate attended the meeting.

Amin noted that with the current campaigns against smoking of tobacco and shisha where smoking has been banned in all public places of almost all the emirates, doctors said it was important to talk to smokers on a personal level regarding the bad effects of smoking and counselling them on how they could easily quit the habit.

“More anti-smoking centres with skilled counselling professionals in the different areas of the emirate will guide people towards quitting smoking as well as discourage new smokers. It will also educate the public about the bad effects of smoking, as many do not know the bad effects of smoking,” he added.

Mahrat bint Ansari, who is the Head of the Health Education and Information at the RAK Medical District said, with the cooperation of doctors from RAK hospitals and Health Care Centres, they will soon introduce more than ten anti-smoking clinics in the emirate and also organise monthly health awareness campaigns in different areas of the emirate including schools, to educate people about the bad effects of smoking.

She stressed that these centres would organise scientific, psychological and behavioural programmes for the public in matters concerning smoking, its effects on human health and the society and how the people can avoid smoking.

Currently, there is only one public smoking cessation clinic in Ras Al Khaimah and since its inception in 2007, it has helped about 610 people quit smoking - among them being a 12-year-old student and an 80-year-old UAE national.

Ahmed Nasser, a 34-year-old UAE national who had quit smoking through this anti-smoking clinic in Ras Al Khaimah said, though it was difficult for him to stop smoking as he got addicted to the habit since he was 16 years old, the multiple counselling he received from this centre regarding the bad effects of smoking and the advices on how to quit smoking helped him a lot.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com