The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched a new phase of its national campaign to minimise the impacts of smoking and other tobacco use on its residents.
The new messages focus on the hazards of tobacco use including its toxicity, relationship with cancer and heart disease and the effects of second-hand smoke.
HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari said in a statement that, “Smoking continues to be a major public health issue in Qatar where we are seeing more young people smoking and using tobacco products. The fact is that tobacco is harmful not just to the smoker, but to those around them.
Worldwide one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco use and in Qatar, lung cancer is one of the five most common cancers. These hard hitting advertisements are designed to serve as a reminder of the dangers of cigarettes, shisha and other tobacco use. We are urging everyone to protect themselves, their children and families by staying away from tobacco.”
MoPH's Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases manager Dr al-Anoud Mohamed al-Thani, said, “The global tobacco epidemic kills more than 7mn people each year, of which close to 900,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. By providing our citizens with accurate information we are empowering them to make better personal decisions about their health.”
World No Tobacco Day, which takes place today, draws a link between tobacco use and cardiovascular diseases including stroke while bringing attention to the damage smoking has on heart health. Tobacco use is an important risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Cardio vascular diseases are the world’s leading causes of death, and tobacco use is the second leading cause of CVDs, after high blood pressure. Cardio vascular diseases kill more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12% of all heart disease deaths.
MoPH has urged tobacco users to access the comprehensive resources available to assist in smoking cessation in Qatar. Hamad Medical Corporation’s Tobacco Control Center is a WHO Collaborating service designed to assist in cessation through clinically-guided programmes. Tobacco users can book an appointment at any of HMC’s tobacco cessation services by calling 16060. People seeking to quit can also access Primary Health Care Corporation’s services by calling 107.