Hawke’s Bay’s family doctors and nurses are getting right behind smokers wanting to quit, as the price of cigarettes hits $15 a packet tomorrow (NEW YEAR’S DAY 1. 1 . 2012).
Health Hawke’s Bay – Te Oranga Hawke’s Bay’s has issued a New Year’s Day message of support to all smokers in the region – “if you want to quit, your family doctor, nurse or community pharmacist will help you”.
The message comes as the Government imposes its third excise duty price hike on a packet of cigarettes since 2010.
Health Hawke’s Bay chief executive Philip Grant says according to the New Zealand Health Survey the region has one of the highest populations of current daily smokers in the country, at 24.2% compared with the national average of 19.1%.
“We need to get the message out to everyone in Hawke’s Bay – help and support for people who want to quit smoking is available and often free, all you need to do is talk to your family doctor, nurse or community pharmacist.”
Health promotion co-ordinator Sue Taaffe says family doctors, nurses and community pharmacists have a full range of support tools available ranging from nicotine replacement products such as gum and lozenges, one-on-one quit support or links to
other quit support agencies such as Aukati KaiPaipa and Quitline.
A new option to help smokers wanting to quit is group-based quit support. Health Hawke’s Bay, with funding from the Ministry of Health, is trialing this programme in three sites. The Doctors Napier, Hastings Health Centre and the Wairoa Medical Centre will run the group quit programmes over January and February.
“Anyone can attend these groups and can be referred through their own doctor, says Ms Taaffe.
A study funded by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that last year’s tobacco tax increase led to twice as many smokers trying to give up smoking.
Smoking has killed (between 1950 to 2000). Today it is estimated that 4700 people die due to smoking related illnesses each year. Cigarette smoking is still one of the leading causes of preventable death and quitting is still one of the best things anyone can do for their health and their whanau’s health. (Cancer Society of New Zealand, 2011).
