The Ministry of Health’s Chronic Diseases Unit will soon roll out a Tobacco Cessation Clinic at various health centres across the country.
Technical Officer for Tobacco and Alcohol Control, Dr Shelieza Gopie said the new initiative will see health centres in both the hinterland and coastland regions encouraging patients to quit smoking by utilising the 5 A’s strategy.
“Soon we will be launching something called Tobacco Cessation Clinic; and to prepare for that, one of the things we encourage is motivational intervene and this stands against brief tobacco intervention which will see the introduction of the 5As in our everyday clinic visits,” Dr Gopie said, according to a Ministry of Health release.
She said that this initiative can also be used for alcoholic patients. The 5As will see health care providers giving the following assistance when patients visit:
· 1st A – asking every patient that visits the hospital if they smoke tobacco
· 2nd A – advising the patient that smoking is unhealthy and it can lead to chronic and cardiovascular diseases
· 3rd A – assessing the patient by following up with questions like ‘would you like to be a nonsmoker?’ or ‘do you think that you can be successful within the next few weeks of quitting?’
· 4th A – assisting the patient to quit smoking with the use of the Acronym STAR
S – Setting a quit date
T – Telling family members and friends so that they can be accountable
A – Anticipating challenges
R – Removing all cigars or any form of tobacco from the house
· 5th A – arranging cessation clinics to work along with the patient in cases where they would need Nicotine Replacement Therapy. However, these clinics are not made available yet, the release said.
Dr Gopie pointed out that the Tobacco Control Act which was passed in the National Assembly in 2018 provides guidelines that state that persons can be liable to a fine if found guilty of smoking in specific places including health and various government facilities such as schools, stadiums playgrounds, any indoor working space, or any office within 5 metres of the window or door.
Guyana’s Tobacco Control Act prevents smoking in any indoor workplace or public space, public transport or any means of transport carrying a minor.
The release noted that tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable deaths in the world, killing up to half the people that use it.
