Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) and its partner organization Workers Education & Research Organisation have called for making the national smoking quit-line functional and effective and supported by human and financial resources, to assist adult smokers in giving up the habit.
The statement said effective cessation is a critical part of making Pakistan smoke-free. “This dream cannot be achieved if effective cessation services are not widely available across Pakistan,” said Arshad Ali Syed, Project Director of ARI.
Apart from making the quit-line functional and effective, there is also a need for supporting it with human and financial resources, the statement said.
The local stop smoking service across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have advisers to support them in their journey to quit. This includes evaluating the smoking habit, the urge to quit, and the breath test to gauge the level of carbon monoxide – a poisonous gas in cigarette smoke – in the smoker’s body. This is followed by NHS-endorsed stop-smoking treatments, including nicotine replacement products. A stop-smoking advisor can also provide support with regard to the use of e-cigarettes for quitting combustible smoking.
Stop smoking advisers can also help you identify difficult situations when there may be a strong temptation to relapse and start smoking.
The statement said Pakistan needs to study and adopt smoking cessation services available in developed countries. “Unless we assist adult smokers in quitting, the dream of smoke-free Pakistan will remain unachieved.”
According to WHO, around 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries. Pakistan today has more than 31 million tobacco users, with more than half of them smokers.