ADK cessation clinic: Helping smokers quit

One of the biggest causes of non-communicable diseases in the Maldives can be attributed to smoking. It causes serious conditions of the heart, lungs and is even a leading cause of cancer. The nature of smoking is such that the addictive substance 'nicotine' rolled into cigarettes makes it quite difficult to simply just give it up 'cold turkey'.

This is where ADK comes with a solution - its Tobacco Cessation Clinic which has been in commission since 2017. The main purpose of the clinic is to provide smokers who intend to quit with the proper psychological support to move away from the harmful habit.

ADK's nurse educator Aminath Rishfa says that the clinic, which is open every day, has provided treatment for over 50 patients in the past seven years. However, she highlighted that not many come seeking the services of the clinic, unfortunately, and revealed that the age group of most patients at the clinic is between 20 and 40.

"Maybe they don't know we provide this service. Or maybe they hesitate to seek help in something like this. A lot of times, [people] come seeking help without their families knowing," she said.

Assuring any patients who may feel this way, Rishfa said that the clinic employs specially trained nurses who maintain patient's confidentiality in such cases, and support patients in their journey to stop smoking.

The hotline for ADK's cessation clinic is 7967848. Once a call is placed to this hotline, callers are provided with information on the counselling and medications needed to stop smoking. The hotline is live everyday except Fridays from 08:00 am to 04:00 pm. On days the line is inactive, calls can be made to ADK's direct hotline 3313553.

Rishfa assured that all individuals who call the hotline will receive services.

"We mostly notice that those who want to stop smoking are often those who wish [to smoke] without their family and friends' knowledge. [A]nd those who want to distance themselves from smoking after discovering they have a big disease or medical condition," she revealed.

While today is World No-Tobacco Day, the clinic's services will be available, despite it being a Friday.

Note: This is a promotional article for ADK.