Doha-04 March 2024 As part of the Hamad Medical Corporation’s Tobacco Control Center efforts, Al Shura Council headed by the Speaker of the Shura Council, HE Mr. Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim, hosted a team from the Tobacco Control Center to showcase the efforts and achievements of the Center and the initiative: "Together for a Smoke-Free Majlis" as a continuation of HMC’s efforts to effectively curb the tobacco epidemic.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council, HE Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Sulaiti, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee at the Shura Council, HE Mr Mubarak bin Mohamed Al-Kuwari, and other members of the Shura Council. The HMC team was led by Dr. Ahmad Mohammed Al Mulla, Director of the Tobacco Control Center at HMC, a World Health Organization Collaborating Center. The accompanying team included Dr. Maha Al Mohannadi, Dr. Jamal Basuhai, and Noor El Nakib. The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways for Al Shura Council’s support of the "Together for a Smoke-Free Majlis" initiative and to effectively boost tobacco control and prevention efforts.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Al Mulla briefly presented the journey of the State of Qatar and the Tobacco Control Center in tobacco control and prevention, the vision of the Tobacco Control Center, the magnitude of the problem of tobacco use in Qatar, the tobacco cessation services and treatment methods provided by the Center as part of its anti-smoking efforts. Dr. Al Mulla also gave an overview of the global statistics of tobacco use, the economical burden due to tobacco-related diseases, the health risks of tobacco use on the society and the health benefits of quitting as well as an overview of “Law No. 10 Of 2016 on the control of tobacco and its derivatives.” Dr. Al Mulla emphasized the need to thoroughly review the law and amend some of its articles, especially those related to the novel tobacco and nicotine products that are rapidly spreading within the community.
The Speaker of the Al Shura Council, HE Mr. Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim, praised the efforts of HMC’s Tobacco Control Center to control and prevent the spread of tobacco use and affirmed the Shura Council’s support for the center in performing its important role in protecting the society from the harms of smoking, and its continuous pursuit of a smoke-free environment, through the appropriate legislative approaches.
"The main goal of the meeting is to request the Al Shura Council’s contribution in combatting the spread of tobacco use in the country by supporting the Center’s activities and initiatives, such as the “Together for a Smoke-Free Majlis” initiative that was recently launched by the Center, hence reflecting HMC's commitment to prevent the spread of tobacco use in the community. We discussed ways of cooperation and support between the Council and the Center to enhance the campaign's visibility and its accompanied success", said Dr. Al Mulla.
Dr. Al Mulla said that 25 percent of adults, aged 18 and above, in Qatar are daily tobacco users, imposing additional responsibilities on the center to launch more community-based campaigns.
“The Center offers preventive free of charge tobacco cessation services that are tailored to the needs of the tobacco users in the community and based on international evidence-based standards. These tobacco control services are joint community efforts involving all parties and not only the role of the Tobacco Control Center and Ministry of Public Health,” Dr. Al Mulla said.
“Qatar was among the first countries in the region to introduce smoking cessation services in 1999 and was designated as a WHO Collaborating Center in 2017, making it the first in the region,” he said.
Dr. Al Mulla commended the role of Al Shura Council in supporting campaigns and activities that serve the community at large such as the initiative for "Together for a Smoke-Free Majlis” and other similar activities that lead to a healthier disease-free community. Dr. Al Mulla invited all tobacco users in Qatar to benefit from the free treatment services offered by the Tobacco Control Center at HMC for permanent and early smoking cessation. HMC requested the support of the Majlis owners and residents of Qatar for the initiative which has a direct impact on the community‘s health.
Majlis owners who are interested in participating in the initiative can contact the center through WhatsApp at 5080 0959 or by calling 4025 4857 to schedule a visit by the Tobacco Control Center team to their Majlis.
