Smokers stub out habit, thanks to clinic

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Government officer Zari Effendi Ruzali, who used to be a smoker, will now proudly say “Tak Nak!” when offered a cigarette.
Zari is among 54 people who have quit smoking for a year after signing up for the “Quit Smoking Clinic” at the Tanglin Community Polyclinic here last year. A total of 151 people had signed up for the programme.
“When I was 13, I was curious about smoking and got addicted. After a decade of smoking, I constantly felt tired, weak and sometimes had difficulty breathing,” said Zari, adding that he now felt healthier.
Kuala Lumpur public health deputy director Dr Sallehudin Abu Bakar said the clinic exposed smokers to various nicotine replacement therapy methods such as nicotine gum, inhaler and nicotine patches. They were also given a lot of moral support to quit their habit.
Certificates were handed out to those who had quit smoking at a ceremony held in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day on May 31.