ANTI-SMOKING CENTER TO CHARGE $50 TO HELP GET RID OF DANGEROUS HABIT
Armenpress
Oct 13 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS: Smokers wishing to give up this
pernicious habit can from now on pay $50 to doctors of a special
anti-smoking center who will help by medications and psychological
consultations to quit smoking.
The center was inaugurated yesterday at a Yerevan hospital. The
treatment of each patient will depend on the extent of their tobacco
dependence. David Petrosian, the chief manager of the center, cited
some figures yesterday saying that this sort of centers have helped to
reduce the number of smokers in the USA and some European countries
from 70 to 25 percent. The center has a dietitian to consult people
fearing they may put on weight after quitting smoking.
The World Health Organization estimates that 63.7 percent of Armenian
men are smokers – the highest rate in Europe. By comparison, an
estimated 60 percent of men in neighboring Georgia are smokers and
31.2 percent in Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s first ever restrictions on smoking in public places came
into force on March 2nd 2005, prohibiting smoking in hospitals,
cultural and education institutions and public transportation. There
are no mechanisms in place for enforcing the measures, and to date
there is little evidence of compliance with the restrictions.