PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

NIBONG TEBAL, 9th March 2016 – Prevention is better than cure is a proverb which means it is easier to stop something from happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened.

As is the situation with the number of smokers and future smokers who are increasing day to day particularly in our country.

Permanent representative, USM Free Tobacco, Mohd Kamil Ashar, said, many smokers sighed when the price of cigarette was raised to RM17 a pack but it was only for a little while and has not given any effects to them.

“Cigarettes have become expensive and there is no evidence that smoking would bring benefits to humans”. He said during the officiation of the Closing Ceremony for Kick Tobacco Programme Engineering Campus, University Sains Malaysia (USM) here today.

“In truth, the raised price of cigarettes is not the issue because even if the cigarette price was to increase till RM50, smokers would still buy them”, he said in front of over 100 students at the event held at the Sports Complex.

He stressed that what is more important is the awareness of the dangers and bad effects from smoking that needs to be applied within the campus populace specifically.

Initially, four programmes were successfully conducted throughout the campus which are Kick Tobacco, X-Smoke Race, #Notobac dan Tobacco Free Vengers 1.0 which commenced on 24th February 2016 and ended on 9th March 2016.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Volunteer Secretariat, USM My-Sihat, Engineering Campus, Che Nur Hidayati Mohd Husaini said the programmes received encouraging response from the students.

“More than 160 students from the first to the fourth years of different races joined the programmes”, said the final year student from the School of Civil Engineering.

She added, each programme has its own objectives which are mainly to deliver the message to students and the campus populace of the dangers of smoking and bad effects of stale cigarette smoke as well as living a healthy lifestyle.

The programme which received a budget from USM My-Sihat was successful in attracting the engineering campus students participation while taking home gifts won from each category.

All winners will be competing at the main campus and will be celebrated in the convention ceremony which will be held on the first and second April 2016 at the Dewan Budaya, Main Campus, USM.

Translation: Siti Sara Zainal Abidin
Text: Norafiza Osman / Photos: Bani Faidzzainami Baniyamin