The Ministry of Health (MOH), represented by the Anti-Smoking Program, organized on Thursday and Friday several events on the World No Tobacco Day 2015 under the theme "Stop illicit trade of tobacco products", at Granada Mall in Riyadh.
On behalf of the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Primary Health Care Dr. Muhammad bin Omar Ba-Suleiman, the events were opened by the Supervisor-General of the Anti-Smoking Program Dr. Ali Al-Wadie who toured the accompanying exhibition in which the MOH participated with a number of programs including: the anti-osteoporosis program and the national anti-breast cancer program, two programs affiliated to the Genetic and Chronic Diseases Control General Department.
Dr. Al-Wadie stressed that the aim of activating the World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to the protection of the present and future generations, not only against the devastating health consequences of tobacco, but also against social, environmental and economic scourges caused by the use of tobacco and exposure to its smoke.
He said, "The event was accompanied by an anti-smoking mobile clinic. The two-month mobile clinic aims at highlighting hazards of smoking and the life-threatening diseases it causes. The clinic targets also reaching the largest number of smokers at their places of work or the places they accustomed to visit. It also aims at breaking the psychological barrier that may prevent the smoker from visiting the fixed clinic, as well as educating the citizens that it is not difficult to quit smoking."
He went on saying that the mobile clinic provides a full range of services including awareness services, medical consultancies, treatment services and follow-up after treatment, in addition to conducting researches and studies related to the tobacco scourge and methods of protection against it.
He pointed out that the events provide awareness and entertainment services, namely you can find various awareness corners for educating the visitors and a theater for presenting a number of awareness and entertainment scenes to children as well as organizing different contests and awarding prizes to winners.
Also, the Riyadh Health Affairs General Directorate participated in the events with the ant-smoking program, the blood bank, the Coronavirus awareness section, and blood pressure and diabetes tests, in addition to King Abdul Aziz Medical City of the National Guard, which participated with the oncology section.
The ceremony included an operetta by a group of young girls under the title "I have quitted", followed by a visual presentation on the efforts exerted by the anti-smoking program to help the smokers quit the bad habit, in addition to a number of programs and honoring those who quitted smoking and all participants in the events.