JEDDAH, 30 June 2007 — The Charitable Society to Combat Smoking will organize an intensive public awareness campaign this summer as part of its efforts to make Jeddah a smoking-free city, according to Mohammed ibn Marzouk Al-Harithy, the society’s director in the Makkah region. Al-Harithy disclosed his organization’s plan to provide free medical treatment through its clinics to help people quit the dangerous habit. He recently met with Saleh Al-Turki, chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to discuss the campaign plan.
Al-Turki welcomed the plan and urged the society to participate in the “Jeddah Ghair” summer festival through its mobile clinics and public awareness programs. He also welcomed the idea of setting up the society’s clinics at private companies.
“We have reached an agreement with JCCI to establish a clinic at the chamber. This will make JCCI the first smoking-free chamber in the Kingdom,” Al-Harithy said.
The society currently runs four clinics at its office in Jeddah in addition to a mobile clinic. “Within a month we’ll have five more mobile clinics,” he pointed out. “People have to attend an half-hour treatment session for six days at the clinic.
Muhammad Al-Attas, a member of the society, said providing free treatment to smokers to quit the habit is one of his organization’s major projects. A smoker who registers with the clinic will undergo a test to check the nicotine content in his body and attend six sessions daily. According to one report, six million people in the Kingdom spend around SR5 billion ($1.3 billion) annually on cigarettes, smoking around 15 billion cigarettes each year. A single Saudi on average smokes 2,130 cigarettes in a year. Nearly 23,000 people die in the Kingdom each year as a result of smoking-related diseases.
The society intends to hold the first national forum on July 10 for enhancing public awareness on the harmful effects of smoking and drugs.
Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal ibn Majed will open the forum, which aims at exchanging information and expertise on how to protect the society from dangerous effects of smoking and drugs.
Next Wednesday, a large public procession will be held on the Corniche to enlighten the public on the harmful effects smoking and drugs, the society said.
Al-Amal Hospital and the Customs Department will take part in the procession, which is organized as part of the World Day to Combat Drugs.
Amer Radwi, consultant oncologist at the Princess Noura Oncology Center located at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah, urged the government to enforce regulations to ban smoking in public places.
“Secondary smoking is equally dangerous and deadly. Parents should not smoke inside their homes to protect their children and other family members from the hazardous effects of smoking,” he said.
Studies have proved that secondary smoking each year causes thousands of deaths from lung cancer and heart diseases among healthy nonsmokers.
