UAE | Health
Toll-free hotline for smokers trying to quit
One of the processes is to have a number people can call for therapy which works in Western countries, says official
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:11 June 6, 2008
Dubai: A buddy system for smokers trying to kick the habit is in the works, the Ministry of Health revealed.
Dr Wedad Al Maidour, head of the UAE Tobacco Control Committtee, told Gulf News during a smoking cessation workshop for ministry staffers that they were working on setting up a toll-free hotline.
"We need it because one of the processes of quitting is to have a telephone or toll-free number people can call for therapy, which is working very well now in Western countries," she said. "To start with, [we] can counsel them over the telephone, [we] can explain to them, [we] can prescribe the medicine," she added.
According to the plan, smokers trying to quit can call a hotline operator who can "talk them down" when they crave for a smoke, common in the early months of quitting smoking. These cravings are a common reason for people to give up trying to quit smoking, because they are too strong.
The hotline, which will be operational during office hours, will also help the ministry reach more people, allowing those unable to reach one of the ministry's six smoking cessation clinics in the UAE to access information and get support.
Website
It will work in tandem with a website that will provide smoking cessation information and techniques for would-be quitters.
However, work on the call centre is far from complete, with Dr Wedad predicting it will be up and running "not before two to three years."
In the meantime, the ministry is focusing on face-to-face counselling and using nicotine replacement therapy to help smokers. Dr Wedad said the ministry was standardising the treatment for smoking cessation programmes in its clinics, before roping in the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HA-AD) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
According to statistics from smoking cessation clinics in Dubai and Fujairah, about 25 per cent of a total 800 people seeking help to quit smoking have been smoke-free. The ages of patients at the clinics range from 9 years old to 50 years old.
Useful tips
Dr Wedad Al Maidour, head of the UAE Tobacco Control Committee, suggests various things people can do to keep themselves busy:
- Wear a rubber band around your wrist, which you can tweak every time you get an urge.
- Talk to friends, who can support and remind you why you decided to quit.
- Take up a physical activity that will make you appreciate your improved lung capacity.
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