The capital is opening more clinics this year aimed at helping people quit smoking. The clinics will be housed in the city's major hospitals. [China Daily]

A new program to help smokers kick the habit could begin in 51 top hospitals and some of the 115 level-two hospitals in Beijing this year, an official from the Beijing health promotion committee said Tuesday.

The program is now in development, but it is expected to include offering medicine and psychological help to those in need. The plan is a development of an already existing anti-smoking campaign.

Qi Changsuo, secretary-general of the smoking and health association, a branch of the Beijing health promotion committee, said Tuesday the city had already operated anti-smoking clinics in 19 hospitals by the end of 2009. Seven were newly opened.

In early 1996, 22 anti-smoking clinics were constructed in the city.

"However, only three managed to run this service until 2007, because of low visitor turnout," Qi said.

The government launched a set of strict regulations to stop smoking in public places on May 1, 2008.

"The public has become more aware of health conditions over recent years after the municipal government tried hard to curb smoking in 2008."

From May to June 2008, 14,865 public places, including bars and hotels, were put under inspection with almost 30,000 people stopped from smoking in public.

"More than 80 percent of my friends are smokers. Smoking is a form of social communication between Chinese men," said a man surnamed Wang, 30, who started smoking in high school.

And not all industries are keen to get involved in the project.

"More than 90 percent of our customers are smokers. If we stop smoking, we kill our business," said a waiter from a billiards club in Chaoyang district.

"Quitting smoking is more popular now, but successful cases still only account for a minority of smokers," said Wei Yujie, a doctor in the anti-smoking clinic of the Armed Police General Hospital.

The hospital opened its anti-smoking clinic last Wednesday to provide medical services every Friday.

"About six people came last week and most of them were men above the age of 40," Wei said.

"To change this lifestyle is really hard and we need more support from the government through stricter regulations and increased prices of tobacco," Wei said.

(China Daily January 13, 2010)