Kuwait launches anti-smoking campaign

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KUWAIT CITY, May 10: Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmad Al- Awadhi, inaugurated Wednesday the Kuwait Center for Poison Control as the first center specialized in following up on poisoning cases, providing advice and treatment plans, controlling toxic substances, and coordinating with the concerned state institutions. In a press statement, the minister said that the center carries out a number of tasks and provides information based on scientific evidence regarding poisoning cases. For his part, the Center’s Head, Dr. Abdullatif Al-Oumi, affirmed that the center specializes in organizing laboratory tests related to toxins, preparing studies on poisoning cases, coordinating with the concerned authorities to monitor toxic substances, and training medical staff.

Dr. Al-Oumi also noted that the poisoning cases dealt with by the center include all cases resulting from poisoning due to nutritional supplements, medicines, medical preparations, chemicals, narcotics, toxic fumes, foods, biological or radioactive toxins, heavy metal toxins, plants, or poisoning cases resulting from poisonous mushrooms, snake bites, scorpions, or marine organisms of all kinds. Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Ministry of Health launched Wednesday an awareness campaign on the harms of tobacco, in cooperation with the National Anti- Smoking Program. Vice President of the Health Ministry’s National Anti-smoking Program Dr Ahmad Al-Shatti said in a speech during the campaign launch that the ministry is working to reduce the number of smokers due to its negative effects on human health. Al-Shatti noted that smoking is not a “masculine behavior and includes both genders,” which calls for raising the level of awareness as well as control of sales of tobacco, prevent smoking in public places, and stop advertising and promoting it. Head of the Health Promotion Department and member of the National Anti-Smoking Program Dr Abeer Al- Bahou stated that tobacco harms “our health as well as the planet, adding that the campaign aims to encourage governments to end tobacco cultivation and switch to more sustainable crops that support farmers to improve food security and nutrition.” (KUNA)

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