More than 200 patients have successfully taken part in Al Gharafa Health Centre’s smoking cessation programme over the past six months.
The objective of the programme was to inform citizens about the consequences of smoking and benefits of quitting.
On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, the health centre hosted a series of lectures by experts on the benefits of not smoking, which are noticeable 20 minutes after stopping when the circulation improves, especially on the hands and feet.
Al Gharafa Health Centre general practitioner Dr Ahmad al-Homdani said one of every four people who visited the centre in the past six months, seeking help to quit smoking, accomplished the mission.
The first question the family doctor asks a patient when coming for consultation is if he’s a smoker. If the answer is yes, the patient is invited to make the commitment to quit.
The doctor emphasised that it was essential to raise awareness among smokers about the cessation programme, saying: “There are doctors, nurses and medication to help patients who have the desire to quit.”
The smoking cessation clinic guides potential quitters through a four-step programme: inviting smokers to think about the advantages of a smoke-free life; encouraging smokers to be ready and avoid temptation and get support; stopping smoking and always keep reminding themselves why they are stopping and, among other changes, find a different daily routine and stick to no-smoking areas; and staying a non-smoker for good.
Among the symptoms of smoke abstinence is an intense desire to smoke, coughing and dry mouth, weight gain, constipation or diarrhoea, sleeping trouble, dizziness, mood swings, poor concentration and irritability.
RasGas Medical Centre nurse Eric Protasio, who was a smoker for 18 years, shared his experience at the Al Gharafa Health Centre, where he received support to quit the habit of smoking.
He called the smoking cessation clinic at 44174411 to make an appointment. Specialists measured the levels of carbon dioxide in his blood stream and gave him supply of nicotine gum for a week.
“I continued to come for consultation, but after the first visit, I stopped smoking thanks to my willpower,” he added.
