Eccles Health Centre now equipped with Nicotine Replacement Therapy
The Ministry of Health’s Chronic Disease Unit on Wednesday handed over a quantity of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) supplies to the Eccles Health Centre to support smoking cessation efforts.
This initiative was taken in observance of World No Tobacco Day, which will be observed on May 31. The day aims to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and the harmful use of tobacco products.
The Eccles Health Centre, located on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), is the first facility to receive these supplies as part of the Ministry’s treatment programme.
Last year, in observance of World No Tobacco Day, a Tobacco Cessation Clinic was launched at the Industry Health Centre, East Coast Demerara (ECD), to help tobacco users quit smoking.
This initiative was later rolled out at nine other health facilities.
These clinics are located at health centres in Craig, Grove, Buxton, East La Penitence, Lodge, Festival City, Industry, Enmore, and Kitty.
Through the clinic, healthcare workers will use the 5 A’s strategy to encourage patients to quit smoking. As such, it will see them asking the patients about tobacco use at every visit and recording their status, followed by the patient’s commitment to quit within 30 days from the first initial visit.
At the clinics, advice will be provided and personalised in a manner for every tobacco user to stop using tobacco and non-tobacco users to remain tobacco-free while assisting and helping all tobacco users to stop based on their willingness.
With Eccles Health Centre now being added to the collection, Nicotine Replacement Therapy will be a new addition to the Tobacco Cessation Clinics. It will see tobacco users gradually reduce their nicotine dependence, making it easier to quit smoking and improving overall health. The nine other health centres are expected to have this addition within a month.
In her remarks, Technical Officer for Tobacco Dr. Shelieza Gopie noted that with the NRT, instead of smoking, tobacco users would be given Nicotine Lozenges, which are like little candies you let dissolve in your mouth.
She added that they come in different flavours and help to reduce the cravings for cigarettes without exposing users to harmful (toxic) chemicals.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Non-Communicable Disease Programme, Dr. Lachmie Lall, stated that this move is part of the Pan American Health Organisation package to achieve tobacco control and reduce smoking rates in Guyana.
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