The Ministry of Health of Jordan has received its first ever donation of nicotine replacement therapy from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health through its partnership with the Access Initiative for Quitting Tobacco (AIQT). The donation, at an estimated retail value of about US$ 800,000, aims to support thousands of Jordanians and refugees quit smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
The pandemic has revealed that quitting smoking is more important than ever as the evidence shows that smokers are more vulnerable than non-smokers to developing a severe case and dying from COVID-19. This access to free nicotine patches combined with personal counselling and digital support will mainly help 5,400 frontline workers, patients with non-communicable diseases and refugees quit smoking. Any smoker willing to make a quit attempt will have access to nicotine replacement therapy and counselling free of charge at the Ministry of Health publicly available smoking cessation services. The donation has helped to greatly expand these services within primary health care centers across the kingdom.
“We are grateful for this donation which builds on WHO’s existing efforts and a comprehensive programme to fight tobacco control in Jordan. The nicotine replacement therapy will help thousands of people in Jordan quit tobacco and lead a healthier life.” Maria Cristina Profili, WHO Representative for Jordan
Jordan is the first country in the world to benefit from AIQT, a joint initiative between the World Health Organization, the UN Interagency Task Force on NCD Prevention and Control and PATH, with support from the Coalition for Access to NCD Medicines and Products. The initiative is designed to assist countries deliver comprehensive tobacco cessation services that will help people overcome both physical and mental addictions to tobacco. Several companies have joined the initiative like Johnson & Johnson, Allen Carr’s Easyway, Amazon Web Services, Cipla, Facebook and WhatsApp, Google, Praekelt, and Soul Machines. In addition to Jordan, AIQT is currently providing technical support to the Philippines, India, China, Mexico and Timor-Leste.
The Ministry of Health salutes the partnership with AIQT to support the Ministry’s efforts in scaling up tobacco cessation services as Jordan has some of the highest tobacco use rates in the world. Smoking is one of the main risk factors for non-communicable diseases in Jordan attributing to nearly 80 per cent of all premature deaths.According to the 2019 STEPS Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health of Jordan in collaboration with the World Health Organization, about 50 per cent of adult smokers in Jordan tried to quit smoking in the past 12 months yet only a small percentage of them have access to the tools that can help them do so. In addition to the free nicotine patches and the establishment of a national smoking cessation helpline, tobacco users can freely access the World Health Organization’s first virtual health worker, Florence, who helps people develop a personalised plan to quit. Florence is available 24/7 via video and text in all UN languages and acts as a gateway to national and local tobacco cessation support.
The deadly link between COVID-19 and tobacco use make it essential for governments to pass comprehensive tobacco control laws. Given the high tobacco burden, the Government of Jordan has greatly enforced the national ban on smoking and vaping indoors in public places and adopted a total ban of shisha use amid COVID-19. Ultimately, scaling up tobacco cessation services will help the Ministry of Health respond to the ongoing pandemic, improve health outcomes and protect the health of vulnerable populations during this pandemic and beyond.
Given the alarming tobacco status — 82.5 per cent of Jordanian adult men smokers using tobacco or e-cigarettes and 80 per cent of the population being exposed to second-hand smoking – I am pleased that Jordan is part of this initiative, which will help advocate for tobacco control and support civil society organizations in their continued efforts for a healthier smoke-free future for Jordan.” HRH Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, President for the International Union of Cancer Control.