HMC holds tobacco addiction treatment workshop

Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Tobacco Control Center organized a training workshop to enhance the capabilities of healthcare professionals in treating tobacco addiction and reducing the prevalence of smoking in Qatar.

HMC said in a statement that the workshop, held from Nov 6 to 8, focused on enhancing participants' abilities to deal with various cases of tobacco addiction and its treatment.

The training workshop was dedicated to healthcare professionals from HMC, Primary Health Care Corporation, Naufar Center, Qatar Red Crescent and the Medical Services Department of the Ministry of Defense. Additionally, the workshop was attended by participants from Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

The workshop was attended by the Deputy Medical Director for Medical Services at HMC Dr Ahmed Al Mohammad and the representative of the World Health Organization in Qatar Dr Riyana Bou Haka.

Director of the Tobacco Control Center Dr Ahmad Al Mulla emphasized that the goal of the workshop was to provide participants with the scientific knowledge and skills necessary to enable them to effectively contribute to combating smoking in the community and assist their patients in quitting.

The workshop was built on comprehensive scientific foundations, relying on established evidence, and included a series of lectures, presentations, scientific explanations, exercises, case studies, and discussion sessions.

Dr Al Mulla stressed the importance of building and enhancing the capabilities of the healthcare team in the field of tobacco control to provide high-quality care for tobacco addiction treatment in all medical centres and institutions in Qatar. He also emphasized the critical role of the healthcare team in educating the community about the harmful effects of tobacco use and its products.

He further highlighted the importance of conducting more workshops throughout the year to enhance the capabilities of a larger number of healthcare professionals, including those in private healthcare institutions.