The Ministry of Health has launched a month-long anti-tobacco campaign to reduce the massive consumption in the country.

The ministry set up mobile clinics in a mall here to educate the public about the dangers of smoking. Several physicians who volunteered received training on scientific methods to quit.

Najat Hussain Qari, a family medicine consultant at the ministry, who heads the tobacco-control team, said: “We receive around 30 to 40 smokers a day. After a thorough check-up, ministry officials educate them on the types of tobacco and their danger.”

She said smokers can get free consultations at three mobile clinics, including the assistance of a psychologist to help them quit. “For smokers really interested in quitting, we guide them to their closest primary health care clinics for further follow up.”

She said the situation is quite bad, with many young and healthy people falling prey to tobacco. “With this move we are trying not only to discourage users from consuming cigarettes and tobacco products but also offering them treatment,” she said.

Moreover, the ministry also provides them with replacement drugs for nicotine. Qari said that the ministry has handed out thousands of leaflets, and put up posters, with separate messages for males and females on the effects of smoking.

According to figures from the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Health Ministers Council, Saudis smoke more than 15 billion cigarettes worth SR630 million a year.