Smoking kills six million every year: Dr Awadhi
Global anti-smoking conference opens in Kuwait
KUWAIT: The Global Anti-Smoking International Alliance Conference kicked off yesterday, under the auspices of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah. In a speech to open the conference, Chairman of Kuwait Society for Smoking and Cancer Prevention Dr Abdulrahman AlAwadhi said that smoking is one of the leading causes of death around the world.
Moreover, he cited a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) as showing that the epidemic claims the lives of six million people every year. On global efforts to stifle growing nicotine addiction, Al-Awadhi revealed that most nations have now spiked prices for cigarettes and tobacco products, a measure he described as an effort to kick the habit for good.
Meanwhile, regional advisor for WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) in the Middle East Dr Fatima Al-Awa noted a global commitment to stave off diseases causing premature death. She also pointed out that 40 percent of men in the Middle East are smokers, foreboding that the figure is expected to quadruple by the year 2025. The WHO official explained that the tobacco industry is a “cutthroat business with a tremendous following.” Similarly, Secretary General of the Gulf Anti-Smoking Committee Anwar Burahma said that people of all age groups are susceptible to smoking, noting that the number of deaths caused by smoking could skyrocket to 10 million people by the year 2025. — KUNA