CORK UNIVERSITY Hospital yesterday became the first hospital in the State outside of Dublin to declare itself a smoke-free zone following the introduction of a smoking ban for patients, visitors and staff on the hospital campus.
The introduction of the ban was launched yesterday by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, who said it had always been incomprehensible to him that smoking had been allowed in hospitals and health facilities, given the clear evidence that it damages health.
Respiratory consultant Dr Barry Plant said a recent survey at CUH revealed that 73 per cent of patients and 64 per cent of staff, including smokers, were in favour of the hospital becoming a smoke-free campus.
Dr Plant said the survey also found that 56 per cent of inpatients who smoked said they wanted to give up cigarettes and the new policy would assist them in that regard.
“Introducing the smoke-free campus policy in CUH provides an environment that promotes health and supports those who want to stop smoking,” said Dr Plant, adding that stopping smoking at any age was the single most important thing a person could do to improve their health
CUH services manager Marie J McCarthy said all patients were being informed of the new policy in advance of their admission, while GPs had also been told. Patients who smoke will be offered nicotine replacement therapy during their hospital stay.
“Exemptions to the policy will be granted under extraordinary circumstances such as patients in mental health settings, being acutely psychotic or traumatised, or in any situation where patient or staff safety is compromised,” she said.
CUH chief executive Tony McNamara said the new policy was an indication that the hospital, as a designated cancer and centre for cardiac and renal services, was taking its responsibility around health promotion and illness prevention very seriously.
In January 2009, St Vincent’s in Dublin became the first Irish hospital to introduce a smoke-free campus policy, followed by Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown in May 2009. All NHS hospitals in the UK went smoke free in 2006.
However, the introduction of the new policy was not universally welcomed with one visitor, Colette Fitzgerald, saying that it seemed like an extreme reaction to prohibit people from smoking anywhere on the hospital grounds.
