ILOILO City – There should be smoking cessation clinics in all districts here, according to City Health Office (CHO) chief Dr. Bernard Caspe.
City government-run health centers could serve as such thus, said Caspe, he had lobbied at the Department of Health (DOH) to train city government doctors and the health centers’ staff in this endeavor to help smokers kick the unhealthy vice.
“We must have smoking cessation clinics outside the CHO. This would make it more convenient for smokers wanting to quit to seek help, especially those living far away from the City Proper,” Caspe said.
The city has seven districts – City Proper, La Paz, Lapuz, Jaro, Mandurriao, Molo, and Arevalo.
The CHO holds office at the second floor of city hall in the City Proper.
According to Caspe, 4,443 smokers (3,292 males and 1,151 females) underwent brief tobacco intervention last year but only 1,024 managed to have successfully stopped smoking.
For its outstanding performance in tobacco control, this city had been named as one of five recipients of the “World No Tobacco Day” Awards presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) – Western Pacific Region.
WHO and its global partners celebrated “World No Tobacco Day” on May 31 and called for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption and engage stakeholders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control.
Iñigo Garingalao, Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST) director, attributed the recognition to the CHO and the city government’s effort and programs on tobacco control.
He said WHO lauded the city’s efforts in sustaining the anti-smoking campaign with corresponding education.
“With the recognition, we need to double our efforts in a way that we will maintain our usual efforts,” said Garingalao.
WHO particularly recognized the efforts of this city in cessation services and the protection of minors. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
