National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh

Follow-up program on implementation of Tobacco Free Hospital Policy with Administrative Staffs of National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute held on 28 August 2016 at 12.00 noon at Conference Room (7th Floor, South building). Col. Dr Md Shamsul Alam (Retd), Director (Adm), NHFH&RI chaired the meeting. Mr. Abdus Sobhan Bhuiyan, Director (Planning) and Dr Md Azizul Haque, Additional Director, Mrs. Mamataz Begum, Additional Director (Nursing Affairs), Maj. (Afns) Shikha Rani Mondol (Rtd), Matron, Mr. Hossain Shaheed Shahabuddin, Assistant Director (Finance), Ms. Shahajadee Sultana (Dolly), Assistant Director (Public Relation), Mr. Badrul Alam, Assistant Director (Audit) and along with other 20 administrative staffs were present in the meeting.

Participants discussed about the follow up of the decisions has taken in the last meeting was held on 11 January 2016 as well as the current situation of implementation of tobacco free hospital policy in national heart foundation hospital and improving the smoke free compliance. NHFB has developed and recorded the announcement to broadcast 3 times every day in the hospital premises for awareness building and those were played in the meeting for comments. Participants actively took part in the discussion and recommended the couple of suggestions for improvement of smoke free compliance.

Following decisions were taken from the meeting for better compliance of smoke free hospital policy:

•                 ♦ Hospital Director will issue letters to all the Head of Department of the hospital for implementing and ensuring tobacco free hospital policy.
•                 ♦ Digital signage in the patient’s waiting room in outpatients department of 1st and 2nd and 10th floor of the hospital.
•                 ♦ Daily three time’s recorded announcement of anti-tobacco message and smoke free hospital policy.
•                 ♦ All bill vouchers and doctors prescriptions printed by hospital should have same anti-tobacco message and smoke free hospital policy.
•                 ♦ In the general meeting of hospital an anti-tobacco part will be included to inspire the staffs to abstain tobacco.
•                 ♦ Meeting will be organized with the Medical Representative professionals for awareness building about tobacco control.
•                 ♦ For new recruitment only nonsmoker will be shortlisted for interview.
•                 ♦ Recruiting agencies will be remaindered.
•                 ♦ “Hospital is smoke free area. Thank you for no smoking” will be the ant-tobacco signage for the cabins as a polite approach.

Hospital Director issue a letter to the authority of recruiting agency of security guards and female support staff (cleaner) not to smoke and not to use smokeless tobacco in the hospital as a reminder.