Cigarettes for fruit

HEALTH workers and volunteers arranged a series of events and initiatives at medical centres and hospitals across the province on Tuesday (May 31) to mark World No Tobacco Day.

Although different health centres took different approaches, with some organising sports activities and others, including the hospital in Huercal-Overa, inviting smokers to hand over their ciggies in exchange for pieces of fruit, the theme and information was common to all.

Government spokeswoman for Almeria Province Gracia Fernandez attended an event at the Bola Azul specialist hospital, where she reported that health centre staff have advised and assisted 44,058 people who wished to stop smoking over the last year.

“Medical advice is an important tool to help reduce and prevent tobacco addiction and doctors recommend that smokers give up the unhealthy habit and help them do so and provide praise when they do so,” Fernandez said.