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The Health | february, 2019
issue: smoking
issue: smoking
Helping
the nation to
quit smoking
Smoking cessation clinics are readily available
for everyone wanting to quit, it is up to us to
start and pave our way to better health
T
he Malaysian government – specifically the
Minister of Health, has never been more
serious in getting people to stop smoking.
The recent ban in eateries is a firm step
forward towards the goal of being a smoke-
free nation.
Each and every one of us know that smoking is bad
for us, and more and more people are open to the idea
of quitting the habit. Of course, the journey is far from
the end, as we continue to help the ones needing help
with quitting, and for the ones quitting to find the
motivation to say no.
Apart from lung cancer,
smoking heightens the
risk of chronic lung
disease, cardiovascular
disease, cervical cancer,
and miscarriages.
Moreover, public smoking cessation clinics will only
cost you RM1 to RM5 per consultation. You might be
paying more if you are going to private centres.
Statement given by Dr Noor Hisham recently also
showed the success rate for smokers quitting. “Statis-
tics shows that the success rate is rising annually as
well, from 24 percent in 2015, to 26.6 percent in 2016
and at the latest, 36% in 2017.”
Smoking cessation clinics
The absolute best way for a smoker to start quitting is
through consultation, and consultation has been open
to everyone for a long time. There are a total of 731
public smoking cessation clinics and 46 hospitals pro-
viding smoking cessation services across the country,
with more in the form of private clinics.
The Ministry of Health had breathed new life into
smoking cessation in 2015 with mQuit Services, a
service that spans both public and private centres
in providing standardised, accredited services to the
public.
And so far, data from the ministry has proven
admirable. Director-General of Health, Datuk Dr Noor
Hisham Abdullah states; “Smoking cessation clients
has greatly increased since the culmination of mQuit
Services. 7,757 people were recorded to go for consulta-
tion in 2015, while the numbers turned to 9,570 in
2016 and 10,240 in 2017.”
How do you seek help?
Clinics and hospitals exist to provide healthcare, and
therefore welcome anyone wanting to seek help for
their health and well-being. The same applies to smok-
ing cessation clinincs.
If you are looking for a helping hand to quit your
smoking habit, you only need to locate a smoking
cessation clinic in your area and walk straight in. You
might have to arrange an appointment and so on, but
you will get help.
How do you actually quit?
READY TO QUIT: Datuk Dr Noor Hisham
tells the positive reaction of smokers in
regards to quitting, based on the smoking
cessation clinics’ clients statistics.
Now that you know where to get help, you might then
ask, what are the methods done by clinics or hospitals
to make you quit?
The treatment is relatively the same anywhere. This
is because smoking cessation clinics in Malaysia follow a
specific guideline, called the Clinical Practice Guideline
(CPG): Treatment for Tobacco Use Disorder.
“There are two main methods in regards to smok-
ing cessation as per the CPG. One is through nicotine
replacing medication (pharmalogical), and the other is
through behavioural therapy. Behavioural therapy will
include counselling sessions provided by smoking ces-
sation experts for smokers,” explains Dr Noor Hisham.
While the methods are relatively simple, the ability
for someone to actually quit doesn’t come easily. “The
success rate of someone quitting really depends on vari-
ous factors, such as addiction level towards nicotine,
the will to quit, the environment, as well as the support
from family and friends,” he adds.
It is safe to say that given the support created by the
government, private health sectors, and even family
and friends, it is still up to us to tell ourselves to quit.
The passion to live our lives to the fullest should be the
motivation to stop lighting up those cigarettes. — The
Health