At 20:43 23/04/1998 +0100, Dr Hotchkiss wrote:
>I have been attending a PGEA course this week and I have
>been surprised to note the number of doctors that smoke.
>
>I understood that the national general population
>proportion was 30-something per cent.
>
>In my practice, 50% of the patients 16-74 smoke. In some
>age-groups (women aged 18-30, for example), the proportion
>reaches 60%
>
>I reckon there are about 40 delegates (all GPs) on this
>course and that there are about 10 smokers.
>
>This is more than a little dispiriting, IMNSVHO.
I am not a GP and I would never butt in on a medical matter but... I am a
smoker.
I would also say that I have done no in depth research into the subject so
what I hear and experience is all that forms my belief system on the subject.
Also this is not a plea for help. <g>
Knowing that 25% of GPs (maybe) smoke is not good for my belief system I'll
agree with you there.
I have tried to give up a few times in the past but whilst I have a lot of
will power in other directions it deserts me when it comes to smoking. Why?
Because it is addictive (for GPs as well non-GPs). My knowledge of hard
drugs is totally negative but I assume that addiction to cigarettes is
extremely mild compared to that of heroin.
I recently heard that the taxes raised from cigarette smoking would pay for
1/3rd of the NHS budget if directed that way (oh that they were).
Call me an extreme cynic if you like but if the government and the Chief
Medical Officer wanted to stop this habit I would have thought it was a
reasonably easy thing to assist smokers via the NHS to give up. A national
campaign somewhat akin to the TB campaign of the late 1950s ought to
suffice. OK it would cost money but I am told that smokers cost the NHS vast
sums of money (I wonder how much polluted city and suburban streets cost?).
Why is such a campaign not forthcoming?
Don't answer, I may be cynical but I am not naive.
Don't make me a pariah, I contribute almost £700 a year more than you do
into the governments coffers along with 10-15 million others and I don't do
it out of generosity of spirit any more than the New Labour Party did when
they gave Bernie Eccleston his £1M quid back.
Graham
"If you get their heads out of the sand don't forget to get them to brush
the sand out of their eyes! Awareness DOESN'T equal understanding."
------------------
Graham P P Ride, Cybermetrix Ltd.
NEW! - Year 2000 Information Service on
<http://www.cybermetrix.co.uk/plusinfo.html>
Tel +44 (0)161 439 0480 - Fax +44 (0)161 439 1912
Year 2000 services to Health & SMEs & maximising the benefits of the Internet
http://www.cybermetrix.co.uk
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
