Doctors should quit smoking

Summary:

Doctors are role model for the society and should not smoke at all and particularly in public. It is also true that even doctors find it hard to quit smoking. The answer therefore is not to start smoking or quitting it as early as possible before it becomes a hard hitting habit, said Padma Shri and Dr. B.C. Roy National Awardee. Dr. KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India.

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Even doctors find it hard to quit smoking. Therefore, in the first place, the answer is not to start smoking or quitting as early as possible before it becomes a hard hitting habit.

Doctors are a role model for the society and should not smoke at all and even if they do, it should not be before patients or at social gatherings. A doctor cannot advise quitting smoking if he/she himself/herself smokes.

Most doctors start smoking before they enter medical colleges and continue to do so because of the hardships one goes through during the medical college education. For quitting smoking, these doctors can set an example in the society. It is easier for doctors to quit smoking than patients or general public as counseling a doctor is much easier than a non–doctor. However, doctors cannot counsel themselves and therefore, they need a counselor and help from another doctor.