is a successful indicator of the control plan
The Secretary-General of the Federation of Arab Hospitals and the health expert, family and community medicine consultant, Professor Tawfiq Ahmed Khoja, confirmed that the in the proportion of smokers in Saudi Arabia by up to 22.7% to 17.5%, according to the report of the World Health Organization, is a positive and successful indicator of control plans, calling for continued efforts to reach A smoke-free society.
Khoja pointed out that many studies have confirmed that countries that have enacted legislation to ban smoking in public places are witnessing a significant decrease in the consumption of tobacco products, and this may be relatively attributed to the fact that such legislation encourages individuals to quit smoking, indicating that the Kingdom is one of the first countries that She was interested in the issue of combating smoking, and is one of the countries that have ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and abide by its provisions.
He pointed out that the Kingdom has good efforts, achievements and bids in combating smoking and a clear message that stems from the need to deal with the issue of combating smoking from the perspective of it being a national issue in which the efforts of national governmental and non-governmental institutions are combined, and the importance of supporting these efforts by committing and launching awareness campaigns in all sectors and institutions and applying laws to prevent smoking. Expansion and spread of anti-smoking clinics.
Khoja stressed that tobacco use is one of the most important preventable causes of death, as the global tobacco epidemic kills about six million people every year, of whom more than 600,000 are non-smokers who die as a result of exposure to second-hand smoke. Health indicates that this epidemic will claim the lives of eight million people annually after ten years, of whom more than 80 percent of the population of low-income and middle-income countries if preventive measures are not taken in the world.
It is noteworthy that the report of the World Health Organization to combat the tobacco epidemic for the year 2021 AD, classified the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as one of the developed countries in combating this dangerous epidemic.
The report stated that the Kingdom provides assistance services to quit smoking, in addition to implementing all anti-tobacco policies.
The Kingdom received high ratings for its efforts in implementing health policies, which include placing health messages on cigarette packages, publishing massive anti-tobacco media campaigns, and banning tobacco companies from advertising and commercial support.
