Rudaw Media Network to support anti-smoking campaign

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The health desk of Rudaw Media Network has declared an anti-tobacco project with the aim of encouraging people to quit smoking.

 
The project is being carried out in coordination with World Health Organization (WHO) and the sponsorship of Erbil-based Paitaxt Technical Institute.
 
The project which began on Monday has prepared 100 different prizes. It will continue for four weeks. 
 
Those who decide to quit smoking or previously have chosen to quit smoking can register their names through the health page of Rudaw portal. 

Dr. Aras Bradoste, Rudaw’s health desk manager, says in the fourth week of the project, a vetting process will be conducted for those who have quit smoking, and 100 individuals who pass the inspection will win a prize.

 
According to a survey from the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region, the rate of smoking is higher in Kurdistan and Iraq than it is in the rest of the world.
 
Dr. Khalis Qadir, spokesperson for the general directorate of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Health, has said 21 percent of adults are smokers internationally. 

This rate is higher in Kurdistan and Iraq where 23.4 percent of adults are smokers, according to a survey conducted in coordination with the US State Department, Baghdad University, Najaf University, and the health ministries of Iraq and Kurdistan.

The global database known as Tobacco Atlas, which tracks smoking trends, says Iraqis are victims of smoking. Their data reveals that in Iraq 1.9 percent of deaths among men and 1.5 percent among women are caused by smoking. Weekly, 200 people (121 men and 79 women) in Iraq die because of smoking.