NICKYTA DAS - DOHA With an aim to promote awareness of the ill effects of smoking, the Ministry of Health supported the no-smoking campaign at Salam Tower on Monday. More than 400 people attended the special ‘healthy lifestyle and no smoking’ campaign along with health experts, also present at the venue.

There were even demonstrations on the ill effects of smoking and how cigarette smoke damages lungs. Cotton was placed in a tube and at the brim of the tube, a cigarette was allowed to burn. As the cigarette burned, the cotton turned yellow and saggy.

Faisal Ahmed, a teacher from Ahmed Bin Mohammad Independent Secondary School said, “The lungs also get discoloured in the same way causing excessive damage to the heart”. To demonstrate the above method Mosaab Gaily, Ahmed Jubran and Abdulla Abd al Rahman, grade 12 students of Ahmed Bin Mohammad Independent Secondary School took a proactive role in helping the people understand the harmful effects of smoking.

Besides there were other counters set up at the venue. Some noted the body mass index (BMI) of the people. Violet Pereira, from the nursing section of Primary Healthcare said, “If the fat deposition is central then there is a greater risk of heart diseases”. An expert added that if the BMI is high, then there are greater risks of health problems. A counter was also set up on the evaluation of blood pressure and blood sugar.

At the registration, date of birth, gender, weight and other details of the patient were recorded for the doctors to identify the risk of heart diseases in the patients. Soumya Hassan from the Ministry of Health noted, “Tobacco affects mental health and passive smokers as well. Seesha smokers are at the same risk of the same kind of diseases caused by cigarette smoking.

Smoking seesha increases the risk of lung diseases and lung cancer too”. The event was supported also by the management team of Salam Tower with support from Qatargas, Qchem, Chevron Philips and other Salam Tower tenants.

Visitors to the event had the chance to sign up to a pledge supporting the campaign and learn more about the way they can lead healthy lifestyles.