39 ENGINEERING STUDENTS ATTENDED THE TOBACCO FREE INITIATIVE WORKSHOP

NIBONG TEBAL, 4 November 2015 – 39 students from the Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) attended the Tobacco Free Initiative Workshop (BIBT), Series 12/2015 at Sedim Eco Resort, Kulim, Kedah, recently.

The three day workshop was held from 30th October until 1st of November 2015 was attended by first years to third years students.

According to the Senior Pharmacist, National Poison Center (PRN), Mrs. Adilah Mohamed Ariff, among 10% to 12% of deaths can be contributed from the smoking habit in Malaysia.

 “The use of tobacco products is the only cause which can be atoned to deaths which could have been prevented”, said the first speaker at the workshop.

 “Smoking habit is also the cause of death of an individual out of two if the person were to smoke for 40 years and two individuals among four who has been smoking for 20 years”, she further said.

She added, the program organized is very beneficial in educating the students about the dangers of smoking and provides exposure and awareness to them of their rights if their friends or members of the public were to smoke at a non-smoking area.

Meanwhile, Senior Pharmacist, Mr. Halilol Rahman Mohamad Khan said there are a variety of services offered by the Ministry of Health for smokers who wants to stop smoking or to treat smoking addiction.

 “Among the services provided by KPM are the clinics to quit smoking and rehabilitation treatment for smokers who wants to stop smoking as to maintain their non-smoking status”, he further explained.

The participants were also given assignments in which they are required to provide four projects in groups related to the tobacco free initiative which will be contested at the university level.

Translation: Siti Sara Zainal Abidin
Text & Photos: Norafiza Osman