Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Hospital (PMBAH) celebrate the World No Tobacco Day 2016, through an extensive campaign which included a series of awareness and educational activities organized by several different departments of the hospital led by the Department of Nursing Education and the Department of Internal Audit and the participation of both the Anti-smoking Program at the Ministry of Health and the Anti-smoking Charitable Society. The campaign, which lasted for two consecutive days and inaugurated by the Deputy Executive Director of Operations, PMBAH Mr. Mansour Al Askar and the Deputy Executive Director Medical Services, Medical Services, Dr. Tarik Khashoggi aimed to educate the public about the serious effects of smoking and several ways to quit, as well as create and increase the public awareness in general in regards to the secondhand smoke.
The campaign and its various events had the presence of more than 500 participants of visitors, patients and staff working at the hospital, where the program in the first day included an interactive exhibition in the main lobby of the hospital which showcased ten different corners, which each department focused on smoking and its dangers in terms of their health speciality, where the participants were impressed by the demonstration and methods of information delivery.
Moreover, the second day of the campaign, covered a variety of topics on smoking and its damages from several aspects, where the Department of Religious Affairs, presented a lecture in regards to smoking from a religious point of view where Mr. Mr. Osama Al Subaihi, a Religious Coordinator explained the provisions related to the practice of smoking. In addition, the Anti-smoking Program at the Ministry of Health presented a lecture in which the program director, Dr. Saleh Diab gave a preview of the nature of nicotine addiction and what is known as secondhand smoking. After that, Dr. Jehan AlAshri, from the Family Medicine Department, explained the impact of smoking on women and men's health in different age stages, while clinical pharmacist Ms. Iman Younis presented the best medical options for smoking cessation to reduce smoking related damages. Also, pharmacist supervisor at the emergency and the outpatient pharmacy Mr. Ismail Hassanin reviewed his personal experience with quitting and last but not least, Dr. Saleh Diab conclude with presenting the best available options for quitting smoking in Al Medina area.
More importantly, the second day of the campaign also included a small exhibition held at the Family Medicine and the Primary Health Care Center, where the exhibition included two corners where Nursing Education and Clinical Nutrition offered a wide range of awareness and educational services for the visitors.