ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Rudaw Media Network has opened a specialized clinic in Erbil to help people quit smoking.
The clinic, the first of its kind in Iraq, is part of an ongoing anti-tobacco campaign started by Rudaw in 2017 and is located in the city's Italian Village.
At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Health praised the initiative.
“The anti-tobacco clinic by Rudaw is a very important step for Kurdistan region to help everyone quit smoking,” Barzinji said.
Dr. Aras Bradosti, head of Rudaw’s health desk told Rudaw English on Thursday that the clinic will be managed by specialized doctors.
“12 doctors who are trained to provide support people to quit smoking will be in the clinic,” Bradosti said. “The clinic will be operated according to international professional standards.”
Dr.Mateen Abdul-Razaq, a doctor at the clinic told Rudaw on Wednesday that quitting smoking primarily depends on willpower.
“Smokers need to decide by themselves to quit smoking cigarettes and shisha in order [for us to] help them,” Dr.Mateen said. “After they decide, then we will help them quit smoking shisha in stages with specialized doctors.”
Mustafa Tahseen, a daily smoker from Erbil told Rudaw English on Thursday that smoking has made him quit sport.
“I was a football player for years playing for a local club,” Tahseen said, before replacing sport with shisha.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), more than eight million people die every year due to tobacco-related illnesses, including lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
Over one million of these deaths are a result of exposure to second-hand smoke.
Sarhang Jalal, head of the KRG’s Prevention of Health Affairs, told Rudaw that awareness is a key factor in getting people to quit.
“There should be more awareness against smoking, as well as more information provided about the risks of smoking in order to quit this bad habit,” Jalal said.
He also called for higher taxes on tobacco products.
The Iraqi government recently decided to distribute cigarettes with monthly food stamps, a move rejected by the KRG Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Iraq’s Ministry of Health have said that the number of smoking-related cancer cases is increasing. The annual rate is currently 2,500.
According to the Iraqi Doctors Syndicate, 40 percent of Iraqis smoke- 20 percent of whom are under 18.
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