RIYADH: Sahara Mall, one of the largest malls in Riyadh, became the first shopping complex in the Kingdom yesterday to prohibit smoking on its premises to mark World No-Tobacco Day.
Declaring Sahara Mall a smoke-free complex, Dr. Khaled Al-Zahrani, assistant deputy minister for preventive medicine, called on other malls to follow suit. In his brief speech, he stressed that innocent children become victims of passive smoking, while smokers ruin their own health.
Considering the enormity of the problem in the Kingdom, he said the Ministry of Health has established a separate department to combat smoking in the Kingdom.
The ministry organized nationwide programs yesterday to encourage people to quit and abstain from smoking. Held in coordination with the World Health Organization, the theme of this year's World No-Tobacco Day was "pictorial health warnings on the packaging and labeling of tobacco products."
Dr. Majid Al-Muneef, general supervisor of the Tobacco Control Program at the Ministry of Health, lamented that the number of Saudi women smokers has been increasing rapidly in recent years.
"Beginning Wednesday, a study will start among Saudi women in Tabuk province to count the number of smokers and find the reasons behind them picking up the habit," he said.
Al-Muneef said similar studies would be carried out in other provinces in the course of this year and anti-smoking strategies would be developed according to the results of these studies.
He said the Ministry of Health maintains 35 anti-smoking clinics in the Kingdom and that this would be increased to 200 during the next five years depending on need. The ministry will also host a symposium on smoking at Amal Hospital today.
Addressing more than 300 school students in Makkah, Abdulaziz Al-Khodairy, undersecretary at the governorate, said his office is keen on making the province a smoke-free zone since the home of the Grand Mosque should be an example to the Islamic world. "You are young and going to be the men of morrow. You have to cultivate good habits because the future depends on you," he said.
"The day's message to discourage smoking should be carried by everyone so that Makkah will be made a smoke-free zone," Al-Khodairy added.
Dr. Sameer Al-Sabban, supervisor general of the anti-smoking campaign in Makkah province, said an exhibition that was inaugurated yesterday at Makkah's Hijaz Mall gives a comprehensive idea about the hazards of smoking.
He said the ministry runs four anti-smoking clinics in Makkah. "It takes a minimum of six weeks for smokers to quit smoking following the clinical treatment," he said, adding that the clinics are open to pilgrims as well.
By Mohammed Rasooldeen
© Arab News 2009
