Dr. Tawfiq Khoja, Director of the Executive Bureau of the Council of the GCC health ministers, has urged smokers to take the opportunity of the blessed month of Ramadan to get rid of the bad habit. In a press statement, he urged the Ulema and Sheikhs to work for the awareness of the citizens about the menace of smoking. Dr. Khoja called on ministries of culture and information in the Gulf region to cooperate with the concerned authorities in carrying out campaigns organized by the bureau as regards fighting smoking and clarifying the adverse impact of tobacco and its derivatives. Dr. Khoja said smoking leads to death of about 5.4 million persons per year.
