Avoid second-hand smoke and stub it out now!
I would like to highlight a serious issue that takes away approximately 53,800 people every year – second-hand smoke (Community report winners: #StubItOut says the winner’, Gulf News, July 16). This is according to the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention in the US. Once, when my family and I were walking past a mall’s smoking area, I noticed a man smoking a cigarette with his son standing next to him, who was breathing in the cigarette smoke. I was appalled at this sight, as well as worried for the poor child. Exposure to secondary smoke might lead to children having a higher risk of serious health problems. They have a risk of developing more ear infections, colds, respiratory problems and tooth decay. In the long run, children of smokers are more likely to smoke themselves because of the bad example their parents have shown them. Seriously, smoking is the worst thing a parent can unintentionally teach his/her child! Besides that, secondary smoke might cause problems for children later in life including poor lung development, heart disease, lung cancer and cataracts. So even if children have opted not to smoke, they will, unfortunately, have to suffer in their adult years just like their parents have. Isn’t that sad? Therefore, I would like to convey a message to all smokers who have children: Quit today. If not for you, at least for your children. Clean air to breathe is the best gift you can give to your children. A healthy childhood will surely be valued by them throughout their life.
From Mr Riaz Ahmad
UAE
Bring peace to Turkey
Turkey was one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) allies and the coup is condemned (‘Turkey coup supporters request surrender talks’, Gulf News, July 17). Some people from the military wanted to take power and the innocent civilians were targeted, which is sad. Turkey is the connecting point for the Western world and this is important. Will Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bring peace and stability and security for the people and the region? We will have to wait and see.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Too many lives lost
It’s a very sad moment for our Turkish brothers and sisters. Here, we will not discuss dictatorship and democracy, but we will condemn the act by the military to rule upon Turkey. As a result, precious lives have been lost.
From Mr Ashfaq Al Khatri
UAE
Facebook comment
The people have spoken
Democracy prevails and Turkey was saved by the people from destabilisation. Turkey had three successful military coups in the past when civilian governments failed to deliver. When politicians and democracy delivers, this is how nations protect their institutions. Hats off to the Turkish people. This should be a lesson for Pakistani politicians. Poster have gone up and many people in the country would support a military coup.
From Mr Mohammad Nasser Khan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Power of people
Don’t underestimate the power of the common man! This is what the public has shown the world in Turkey.
From Mr Maher Kashi
Dubai
Facebook comment
Bless them
I’m really happy nothing came of this coup. People need to feel secure in their country. Let no one allow any destabilisation in the region. The way the world is going, it seems many are going down the wrong path. Everyone needs to be secure. To the brave people of Turkey, God bless you.
From Mr Sulaiman Bah
Dubai
Facebook comment
Protecting their rights
Yes, they are Turkish people and they know how to fight back. They know how to protect their rights. Bravo to them, may God bless Turkey.
From Mr Hussain Ali Khan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Protect us all
Well done to the people of Turkey. Please don’t give an inch of chance for a military coup. Some vested powers want to hinder the success of the country.
From Mr Naaz Akther
UAE
Facebook comment
Shame on them
The attempted coup was destined to fail! The people responded to the calls for justice and took to the streets. The police were with Erdogan, so even though some parts of the army were trying to take over, they failed.
Many Turkish army troops have been arrested by the police and by the citizens. They took the airports back from the army, too. Shame on the army personnel for trying to take out a democratically elected leader.
From Mr Osama Khan
UAE
Facebook comment
Keep an inventory
I have literally felt the same issue of getting excess medicines (‘Community report in-depth: Too many medicines? Stop the waste!’, Gulf News, July 12). If the doctor prescribes us for four days, we get a package enough for 10 days, which I feel is a waste. To reduce this, I have started the practice of telling the doctor not to prescribe paracetamol, for example, because I have excess paracetamol and painkillers already at home.
The best way is to keep a note of the names of all the medicines we have for colds, coughs and fever, so that if we consult the doctor for any such issues mentioned above in the future and if he/she prescribes the same medicines or similar type, we can double check with them and ensure whether to buy or not.
From Ms Chinn Nair
UAE
Facebook comment
Needs to be corrected
I would completely blame packaging. The package of medicine is more than the course for medication, which is often around five days for something not serious. After the course of medication is finished, you are still left with a few days’ worth of medicines. That needs to be correct to reduce waste. The rest of the medicines, like paracetamol or aspirin can be used and shared. However, some like antibiotics and other medication need proper care and prescription for reuse.
From Ms Purnima Kamal Al Deen
UAE
Facebook comment
Refunding unused medicine
The extras should not be prescribed and sold. Even if there is no other option, then pharmacies should take back the medicines if unused and not expired. The refund should be credited back to insurance even if it is not refunded at full value. This would help regulate the yearly limits of medicines that are covered by insurance companies.
From Mr Sumant Bhalla
Dubai
Facebook comment
The dangers
You redistribute unused medicines? Just take the case of a face cream, those needs to be stored in a cool and dry place to maintain the shelf life. If not, the product will expire before the expiry date. Every medicine needs proper storage. Some need to be below room temperature, some needs to be in a refridgerator. You don’t know how the medicines were stored by the previous owner. Medicinea are not clothes or books that you take from one and give to another. They are a highly complicated mixture of chemicals that might seem small and silly, but it’s enough to take or give a life.
From Mr Aju Jacob
UAE
Facebook comment
Disrespectful taxi drivers
Taxi services play a major role in the lives of many as it provides transportation to those who don’t have access to it. The worst part is that some taxi drivers have no patience and respect for the passengers. I have one such story that I would like to share. Once when I got into a taxi to go to some place in Sharjah with my brother, the driver was mean and angry with us. The reason why he was angry with us was because he missed a roundabout. I didn’t understand why he was angry with us for this! He started tapping the brakes and beating the steering wheel very hard, and I feared the car was about to crash. The driver’s behaviour filled us with rage and we got out of the taxi and went back to our home walking. We reported the incident to my mum, and I told her the driver’s name and his taxi code. She called the taxi call centre to complain about this incident and, to my surprise, they did nothing about this, and they didn’t take this matter that seriously. Taxi drivers should be given proper training to deal with the passengers, and they should be disciplined and should have respect towards the passengers.
From Mr Austin Prakash
UAE
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