Success for stop smoking programme

More than 26,000 Bay of Plenty smokers have been given help to quit. Photo: Supplied

Western Bay of Plenty health professionals have been given a pat on the back for helping more than 26,000 Bay of Plenty smokers try to quit the habit during the past 15 months.

The Ministry of Health wants to see 90 per cent of all smokers enrolled in primary health organisations (PHOs) offered help to quit.

The Bay of Plenty District Health Board has achieved that target for the first time since it was set in 2015.

'The DHB congratulates the three PHOs and their general practices for achieving the target for the first time and recognises the additional efforts they have put in over recent months,” says health equity/public health portfolio manager Brian Pointon.

'The target is that smokers are offered advice and support on quitting and many will have accepted that offer and are now living a smoke free life.”

Phil Back from the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation also congratulated its general practices.

'We are pleased to have now reached this target for the last two quarters and acknowledge the hard work undertaken within our general practices to achieve a lift in performance of over 31 per cent in the past 12 months.”

If smokers in the Bay of Plenty want to quit they should contact their GP or nurse, or the BOP Stop Smoking programme ‘Hapainga' by calling 0800 HAPAINGA (427246) for a free service.

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