Healthcare | Tuesday 2 June, 2015 12:39 am |

Canadian Specialist Hospital (CSH), one of the leading private sector hospitals in the UAE honoured by the Dubai Health Association (DHA) for JCI reaccreditation, celebrated ‘World No Tobacco Day’, stressing on the health risks linked to tobacco use and supporting the cause for effective policies to curb tobacco usage. As institutions and various communities celebrate May 31st, CSH had educational seminars and interactive programs conducted to join in their efforts to stamp out tobacco consumption in UAE.

CSH participated at the ‘World No Tobacco international Day’ screening event at the Ministry of Labour building in Al Qusais, where several tests such as BMI, blood pressure, vision test and smokers test was conducted for thousands of visitors.

As per the fifth Tobacco Atlas launched in Abu Dhabi in March, statistics indicate that at least on an average 26 men die each week due to tobacco use, which is pegged at a lower number than other high-income countries. Apart from the men who comprise of 13 per cent of the smokers’ population, 2.1 per cent of women or in other terms one woman succumbs to death due to tobacco every week.

Also more than 1,400 lives are taken away by tobacco induced diseases, while 16,600 children and approximately 1,107,000 adults continue to consume tobacco every day.

“Tobacco consumption is still the number one cause for preventable deaths worldwide. Millions of people fall prey tobacco related death. The sad part is that many of them won’t be smokers themselves, but instead, are put in jeopardy due to passive or second hand smoke. The popularity for smoking stems from the fact that it is cheap, direct and indirect methods of propagation by means of advertisement and less awareness levels of the perils of tobacco. We wish to give back to the community by fighting against all the toxic and addictive tobacco merchandises and helping addicts lead a normal life,” said Dr.Haider Al Zubaidy, CEO, Canadian Specialist Hospital.

“Alternatives to tobacco consumption like tobacco patches and chews, e-cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy and de addiction centres must be promoted in the UAE. Stringent controls on places of cigarette purchase, point of sale policies and a clampdown on tobacco advertisement will ensure that tobacco consumption will be curbed to a certain extent. CSH has been instrumental through its campaigns in bringing greater protection from tobacco in the UAE. The CSH awareness program intends to create a better future for youths and adults to get involved in tobacco reduction efforts in the region. It is important to kick the habit at an early stage before it gets too late,” added Dr.Haider.

Recently, CSH has become an active member of the Dubai Medical Tourism (DMT) Club. As part of this esteemed club, CSH will bring together healthcare facilities of the DMT program and thereby create an environment to share experiences and promote Dubai as a Medical Tourism hub. CSH will also actively participate in all the events and seminars conducted by DMT and will be one of the strong voices among others promoting medical tourism in Dubai.