More smoking cessation clinics needed in the UAE to aid quitters, doctor says

More smoking cessation clinics are needed to help smokers kick the habit. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // A doctor has said that the UAE needs more smoking-cessation clinics to help boost the numbers of successful quitters.
Dr Abinash Paul, a respiratory specialist at Lifeline Healthcare Hospital in Jebel Ali, said that although only a small percentage of people who want to quit succeed, cessation programmes have improved in recent years.
"Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions to get rid of," he said. "Only about 3 to 6 per cent of people in the UAE who try to quit succeed.
"Smoking cessation started with nicotine patches and sprays, but now it goes into tablets that can block the nicotine receptor to help reduce craving.
"It is like replacing a 100-watt bulb with a 60-watt bulb.
"When you smoke after a dose, you do not get that kick, so it negates the positive and makes smoking less appealing."
A decade on from the World Health Organisation's landmark introduction of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a treaty signed by 168 countries that set out to protect future generations from the health implications of tobacco use, only 15 per cent of the world's population have adequate access to smoking-cessation programmes.
Research conducted by a Greek cardiologist Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos has found that nicotine-replacement therapies lead to a sustained abstinence from smoking in only 7 per cent of people, while oral medications have less than a 20 per cent success rate. But Dr Paul said a combined action could be successful.
Dr Paul will run smoking cessation clinics at Lifeline in Jebel Ali from May 1 to help people kick the habit.
The clinic's quit programmes last between six and 12 weeks and involve participation from wellness specialists and behaviour-change professionals.
The hospital is also working towards creating smoking-cessation programmes that will utilise medical expertise, well-being experts, social media and technology.
Dr Paul said the success rate could be very high, particularly if a person had developed serious health issues as a result of smoking.
"The low success rate here is very frustrating for a doctor," he said. "Although even in countries with the best quitting aids, it is still just 30 per cent.
"Starting with a new patient, it is frustrating when you know you are 70 per cent likely to fail in trying to get them to quit.
"It is like treating a disease that is eventually going to be fatal."
[e-mail]