Speaker of Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim and Deputy Speaker H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti meeting a team from HMC Tobacco Control Center, led by Dr. Ahmad Mohammed Al Mulla.
Doha, Qatar: As part of HMC Tobacco Control Center's efforts, Shura Council headed by Speaker H E 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 Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti; Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Shura Council, H E Mubarak bin Mohamed Al Kuwari; and other members of the Council.
The HMC team was led by Dr. Ahmad Mohammed Al Mulla, Director of the Tobacco Control Center, 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 Shura Council’s support of the “Together for a Smoke-Free Majlis” initiative and to effectively boost tobacco control and prevention efforts.
Dr. Al Mulla briefly presented the journey of Qatar and the Tobacco Control Center in tobacco control and prevention, the vision of the center, the magnitude of the problem of tobacco use in Qatar, and 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.”
The Speaker praised the efforts of HMC’s Tobacco Control Center to control and prevent the spread of tobacco use and affirmed the Council’s support for the center in performing its important role in protecting society from 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 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 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.
He commended the role of 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.
