​
By Kgomotso Mophulane 
 To encourage patients with quitting smoking, Helen Joseph Hospital's Respiratory Clinic has added a smoking cessation program to its service offerings.
 This will be the second smoking cessation clinic in the public healthcare sector in the country after Groote Schuur Hospital in the Western Cape.
 According to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, cigarette smoking remains one of the causes of premature death and morbidity worldwide shows that for every year of smoking over the age of 40 , an average smoker loses three months of life expectancy.
"There is a burden of smoking and smoking-related medical conditions for patients in the hospital's catchment area and yet there are no services for that. Although there are smoking cessation therapies such as nicotine replacement therapy which is on the World Health Organisation's essential medicine list, and it is not always available to smokers,'' said HJH's Head of the Lung Laboratory, Dr Anita Graham.
"The range of fatal and non-fatal diseases caused or exacerbated by smoking is extensive, these include lung larynx, oesophagus, cervix, stomach cancers, cataract, hearing loss, infertility, spontaneous abortion and surgical complications among others'', added  Graham.
 The cessation service will be run by staff from the division of pulmonology as well as nursing sister from palliative care to provide additional counselling.
​​"Patients are encouraged to book for appointments for the service. The Clinic which will run on Wednesdays, targets smokers wishing to quit, including but not limited to referrals from specialist clinics, local hospitals and staff members, concluded Dr Graham.