Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation to Mark World Tobacco Day 2013

Source from:  AME Info FZ LLC  05/23/2013

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will mark world No Tobacco Day later this month with a series of workshops and education activities for the public.

Organized by the Smoking Cessation Clinic at HMC, the event is being held in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) under the theme 'Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship'.

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners everywhere mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

To raise awareness, the team from the clinic will run several educational activities for the healthcare team at Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation, in addition to educational activities for the public. This campaign is being sponsored by Hamad International Training Center and Concoco Phillips Qatar.

The activities will include, setting up educational booths for visitors at Hamad General Hospital and the Outpatients Department on 29 and 30 May 2013 and at City Centre Mall on 31 May and June 1, 2013. The purpose of these booths is to increase awareness among the public about health consequences of smoking, tobacco use and means for quitting.

Carbon Monoxide levels will be measured for smokers at the booths as well. In order to supply healthcare workers with the latest information about tobacco us, the clinic is organizing a symposium to discuss the health effects of tobacco use as well as new techniques to encourage quitting for life and the importance of smoking ban laws in banning smoking.

Speakers at the symposium include experts from HMC, Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, Qatar University and Al Aween Center in Doha. According to the WHO, the ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to protect present and future generations not only from these devastating health consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.  Enditem