OREANDA-NEWS. June 4, 2012. In line with the global observance of “World No Tobacco Day 2012” on May 31, Qatar Petroleum’s Medical Services Department conducted a Health & Wellness Road Show last Thursday to highlight the range of serious health risks associated with smoking.

Held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP, the road show was organised with the support and encouragement of Mr. Ahmad Ali Abdulla Al-Mawlawi, Director for Administration, and with the guidance of Dr. Mahmood Abdul Rahman Al-Jaidah, Manager for Medical Services at QP.

The Health & Wellness Road Show was held at the TransWorld Tower, where the Administration Directorate and various QP departments, such as Human Resources, Organization & Systems and Corporate Training, are located.

During the event, QP healthcare personnel led by Dr. Nadeem Siddiqui, Dr. Ahmad Latif and Dr. Abdelrahman Mohgoub Ibrahim Dagig made presentations focusing on the link between smoking and health problems and on QP’s existing programs to help smokers break the habit. The two-hour program, which was held in two sessions, also included screening tests and a quiz competition for all participants.

“With smoking recognized as the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, our activities to mark ‘World No Tobacco Day’ are in line with our continued efforts to work tirelessly towards safeguarding the health of smokers and non-smokers alike,” said Dr. Al-Jaidah.

Consistent with its adherence to high standards in occupational health, QP strictly implements a No-Smoking Policy in all its offices and facilities throughout the country. To provide assistance to employees who want to quit the habit, the corporation’s Medical Services Department has set up Smoking Cessation Clinics covering all QP locations in Doha, Dukhan, Mesaieed Industrial City and Ras Laffan Industrial City.

In the run up to this year’s observance of “World No Tobacco Day,” the department also conducted an information campaign which provided tips on what smokers could do to successfully break the habit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first established the “World No Tobacco Day” in 1987 to encourage smokers to stop smoking for at least 24 hours as well as to raise global awareness on the dangers of smoking. According to the WHO, smoking kills nearly 6 million people every year through lung cancer, heart disease, respiratory ailments and other serious diseases. The Geneva-based organization warns that if current trends continue, tobacco use will cause the death of over 8 million people worldwide annually by 2030.

As part of its year-round health promotion campaign, QP’s Medical Services Department will hold another Health & Wellness Road Show on June 4 to raise awareness on high blood pressure and to conduct hypertension screening among QP staff. The event, entitled “Healthy Lifestyle – Healthy Blood Pressure,” will be held at Al Handasa Building, which hosts the offices of the largest number of QP employees in Doha.