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BELIEVING the best gift to a loved one this Valentine’s
Day or any other day is health, an alliance of doctors
and members of civil society launched Wednesday a free
online “stop-smoking” service to help curb what the
World Health Organization (WHO) reported to be the cause
of 1 billion deaths in the last century.
The
Philippine College of Chest Physicians (PCCP) and the
Framework Tobacco Control Alliance of the Philippines (FCAP)
called their campaign “Love the Smoker, Hate the Smoke”
and said the online service can be accessed at
www.tobaccocontrol.ph.
“This
project is meant to encourage friends and their loved
ones to lead their smoker-friends to free
smoking-cessation consultations,” said Dr. Maricar
Limpin of the PCCP and executive director of FCAP.
Smokers
can enroll online for the free consultations and loved
ones can use informed tips on how to help someone quit
smoking.
Limpin
said the main targets of the campaign are really family
members. “Majority of those expected to support the
tobacco-control advocacy are nonsmokers who are
concerned about the health of their smoker-friends or
relatives. We thought it best to launch it during this
love month. It would be perhaps the greatest gift you
can give to your smoker-friend or relative.”
The
campaign will run from February 12 to March 1 when the
effort to enroll as many as possible is heavy. After
this two-week enrollment drive, doctors will send an
e-mail or text message to the enrollee to enable the
smoker to coordinate the free consultation with doctors.
Limpin
said the enrollee is under no obligation during or after
the consultation to do anything. It will be fully his or
her choice to follow or not to follow the medical
advice. Consultation is being offered initially in Metro
Manila only.
Free
information guides will also be given—including how to
help a smoker quit, how to help change a smoker’s
environment and a greeting card to be sent by the friend
or family to the enrollee that, says, “Your friend [name
of the friend] just tried to save your life.”
Smokers
are given information guides, including topics such as
“What you don’t know will kill you,” tips on quitting
and how smoking-cessation programs work.
Sticker
and information materials will be given during a fair at
the University of the Philippines from February 12 to 16
and in different restaurants on Valentine’s Day to
encourage lovers and families to enroll their
smoker-loved ones.
According to the WHO, the
Philippines
is among the top 10 countries of smokers. The epidemic
knows no age limit—about 15.9 percent of Filipino
children aged 13 to 15 and 34.7 percent of those aged 18
years and above are already hooked on smoking.
Some
factors blamed for the high tobacco use in the country
include the low cost of cigarettes, the aggressive
marketing of products despite a ban on a advertisements,
and the low taxes imposed on manufacturers and
distributors.
By 2030
smoking is expected to kill 10 million people, with 70
percent of these deaths occurring in the developing
world, including the Philippines, according to the WHO. |
