Why Smoking Should Be Banned In Hospitals

Smoking Should Be Banned in Hospitals

As smoking cause serious health problems including cancer and heart disease to both active and passive smokers, authorities around the globe are increasing non-smoking zones. In November 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom joined in the global trend by calling for a smoking ban across National Health Service (NHS) hospital sites. According to an article published in British Medical Journal, if this advice was put into practice, health service employees would be forbidden from smoking during work hours and helping patients have a cigarette. Selling cigarettes in hospital stores and building smoking shelters within hospital premises would be outlawed as

Also, smoking ban policy would affect public in positive way like a campaign. Hospitals responsible movement and care toward patients is directly connected with reputation. For example, one of the research papers about health policy implementation in hospital from Canada states that smoking ban policy should be executed rather restrictively and with staffs’ active enforcement to draw effective implementation of smoking ban (Patterson 336). Also, the author of the paper insists that smoking ban policy which is connected to the staff’s duty will elevate the overall reputation of the hospital. Some might argue that banning smoking in hospitals is not so much a good example as a cruel decision for smokers. According to an article in The New York Times, smoking causes long-term stress levels to rise (O’Connor). In addition, Cambridge University researchers found that hospital workers were not smoking outside wards for pleasure or stress reduction but were just driven by chemical dependence. Thus, stress reduction cannot be a valid reason to tolerate smoking on hospital premises. Of course, everyone in hospitals will be offered nicotine replacement therapy and plenty of advice to minimize withdrawal symptoms and to make them feel convinced enough. Additionally, the editor of Blisstree argues

Also, after smoking ban policy is implemented and shows effective results, credibility of the hospital will increase which is one of the most important factor when patients choose the hospital. Thus, the hospitals should not neglect their duty to care patients from smoking which is a risky habit worsening their illness and discharging duty of care will lead to both successful adaptation of banning smoking and elevation of hospital’s