Strategy for Developing a Smoking Cessation Program in Macedonia

Abstract

Macedonia has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe and ranks among the top ten globally. Although there is a moderately strict anti-smoking legislation, tobacco free policies are not financially supported and smoking cessation activities are not included in the regular educational process of health workers in the country. Smoking cessation is not considered a medical intervention, there is no consistent access to nicotine replacement therapy or other cessation medications, nor are they covered by health insurance. The goal of the partners from Henry Ford Health System and the University St Cyril and Method in Skopje was to develop and adapt a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists program (aCTTS). A team of physician champions was created to facilitate implementing the program and to educate respiratory and internal medicine specialists, as well as general practitioners who proceeded treating patients for tobacco dependence. During the first four months of the intervention 64,668 patients visits were registered, 25,710 (40%) of them for tobacco-related diseases. Of the latter, 18,558 (72%) included smoking cessation counseling, which by itself is a great progress to reaching a striving population of smokers.