DILI, 01 june 2023 (TATOLI) – Formosa Tobacco Cessation Center (FTCC) has helped more than 900 Timorese people successfully quit smoking.
“So far, more than 1200 people have been registered at the center to seek help in quitting smoking. Of these smokers, 900 have successfully quit smoking and about 123 people are currently undergoing treatment. The FTCC also recorded 90 people who had returned to smoking and 95 people who had abandoned their treatment,” Eldino Rangel, a doctor at the FTCC, made the comments on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), in Dili, on wednesday.
Rangel recounted that FTCC begin its services in june 2021, with behavioral counseling to help people quit smoking: “In october 2021, we started the Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).”
Since its launch in 2021, Dr. Rangel, along with three nurses and a public health professional, has worked tirelessly on counseling and therapy for smokers at the center.
“At the FTCC, we carry out testing to figure out the long-term use of tobacco products by a person in order to find out the nicotine in the body of a smoker person,” Rangel explained.
According to him, heavy smokers, who consume at least one pack of cigarettes a day, have to receive nicotine replacement therapy.
Gaspar da Silva, a 48-year-old freelance artist from Dili, shared his inspiring story of successfully quitting smoking with the support of the Formosa Cessation Centre.
Since december 2022, he has received invaluable assistance through multiple follow-up visits, underscoring the positive impact of the Ministry of Health’s work in partnership with the WHO.
The Formosa Cessation Centre, the first of four such centers established in October 2021, continues to offer counseling, guidance, and medical assistance to hundreds of Timorese seeking to overcome tobacco dependence. The other three cessation centers are located in Ermera, Liquica, and Oecusse.
Rangel urged health authorities to extend tobacco cessation centers to other municipalities: “Some people from the farthest municipalities, including Viquque and Covalima, have visited the FTCC to seek treatment to quit smoking. So we need to establish the centers in these municipalities.”
Rangel added that more promotions will be needed to inform people that they should seek help to quit smoking at the Tobacco Cessation Centers.
WHO representative in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur, praised the efforts of the Ministry of Health in the fight against tobacco addiction.
“The FTCC has helped around 900 people successfully quit smoking. That’s a big number and a big success. That’s what we want to build on. We will continue to support MoH to promote a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), Timor-Leste 2019, with nearly 70% of adult males smoking cigarettes and 27% of adult females using some form of smokeless tobacco, Timor-Leste is one of the countries with the highest tobacco use rates in the world. The prevalence of tobacco is also high among adolescents in the country.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
