Taipei City Government

“Fresh and Clean Taipei City, Smoke Quitting Go!Go!Go!” Program Launched
Taipei City Hospital provides 1000 citizens with a 4-week free smoking - quitting medicine
By Department of Health, Taipei City Government
To assist willing citizens to quit smoking successfully, Department of Health, Taipei City Government pioneered in Asian to launch the “Fresh and Clean Taipei City, Smoke Quitting Go!Go!Go!” Program which will provide 1000 willing citizens to quit smoking with a 4-week free medicine starting from 4 April. Interested citizens can bring their national health insurance card to Taipei City Hospital to seek for assistance. There will be no restriction on medicine types, a free 4-week medicine will be provided with a saving up to NT$1000 to NT$3000.
According to Director Chiu Wen-Hsiang Department of Health, Taipei City Government, it is expected that within a month after the launch of this program, 1000 smoking citizens can go to the aforesaid hospital to seek assistance. At the meantime, smoking citizens are encouraged to participate in “2010 quite smoking to win competition” which will assist smokers to refrain from smoking in a most aggressive way. Besides 39 doctors for smoke quitting from 8 district branches of Taipei City Hospital has organized a professional team to provide 320 clinic visits every month. They will continue to provide service to smoking citizens in combat against smoking addiction, hoping to create a record high rate for smoke-quitters and successful smoke-quitting.
The Director Chiu further emphasized that apart from the mobilization of all Taipei City health institutions, the city government has also printed over 400,000 copies of registration forms with names of those 39 doctors and service schedule; at meantime, those are willing to quit smoking can also cruise on the websites of Department of Health, Taipei City Government and Tong Foundation－Chinese smoke quitting website for inquiry and registration.
The Deputy Superintendent Woung Lin-Chung of Taipei City Hospital indicated that medication should last consecutively for 8 to 12 weeks, while the first 4 weeks are critical to the success of smoke quitting. This accounts for the “free 4-week medicine” and “saving of NT$1000 to NT$3000” as an incentive to attract smokers to quit smoking. He further pointed out that pharmaceutical research advance daily, and over 50 percent smoke-quitting medicines have been proved clinically successful. As long as smokers are determined, the professional medical group has great confidence in helping them quit smoke successfully.
Mr. Li Luo a famous entertainment artist, began smoking from intermediate school and has a history of smoking for 27 years. After betting with Miss Chang Hsiao-Yan, a TV entertainment program hostess for NT$100,000 for successful smoke quitting, he even registered for “2010 Smoke Quitting Competition” for a reward of NT$300,000 and is determined to be the first one using the “4-week free medication” program. He tries to grasp this opportunity to quit smoking and cheer the hearts of his wife and young girl who is to enter primary school. In the past, he did try many times to quit smoking but failed, this time, he is with full confidence in telling Miss Chang by this year’s Father’s Day, he will win the NT$100,000 award.
Mr. Sun Yue the life-long volunteer, began to smoke at age of 16 and since then he has smoked for 37 years during that period he had tried over 20 years of smoke quitting but failed. He has experienced the bitterness of “the heart is willing but the flesh fails” in smoke quitting. He wishes to warn all smoking friends as a successful smoke quitter afterwards that smoking hurts not only your health but also your kin relatives. He calls for all smokers to “quit smoking early makes life better”. With courage, determination and perseverance, you can succeed.