(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
The Ministry of Public Health along (MOPH) with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Qatar Cancer Society (QCS), are partnering once again to strengthen their existing efforts to raise awareness of lung cancer throughout May the Lung Cancer Awareness Month and also for the World No Tobacco Day.
Over 16% of cancer-related deaths among Qatar's population in 2015 were caused by lung cancer and tobacco use is responsible for about 90% of all cases of lung cancer. The joint efforts of Qatar's healthcare partners focus on encouraging the public to quit smoking and to lead a healthier life.
Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Public Health at MOPH, said, 'On this World No Tobacco Day, the Ministry of Public Health and its partners are calling on people to quit tobacco smoking and say no to second-hand smoke, to protect their lungs.
Activities are held across Qatar to provide information to encourage tobacco users to quit and where to access smoking cessation clinics in Qatar. Catherine Gillespie, Director of the National Cancer Programme, said: 'Not smoking is the single most effective way of reducing the risk of developing lung cancer. We need to support those people who want to stop smoking as well as encouraging youth not to take up the habit.
Professor Alex Knuth, Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of the National Center of Cancer Care and Research at HMC, stressed the importance of smoking cessation counselling as an important measure that smokers should take to understand the risk they face of developing lung cancer. He also encouraged people to refrain from unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity. .
'The most common symptoms of lung cancer are a persistent cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, and hoarseness, shortness of breath, wheezing and feeling tired or weak. Unfortunately, most lung cancers do not cause any symptoms until they have spread.
'Therefore, prevention is always better than cure. It is a fact that smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, and to help minimise that, PHCC has specialised clinics to help people quit smoking in 10 health centres, said Dr. Shaikha Abu Shaikha, Manager of Screening Programs at PHCC.
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