Under the patronage of Prof. Yasser Al-Rayyan, Dean of the School of Medicine, organized by Bel-arabi non-profit organization, and under the supervision of Dr. Maram Abdaljaleel, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the Basic Departments, a debate event was held at the school of mdicine titled "Who Should Bear the Cost of Treating Smokers with Lung Cancer?" on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
This scientific and educational debate was designed to discuss the seriousness of the current situation regarding the increasing number of smokers in Jordan and the resulting health and economic concequences. In fact, Jordan is one of the six countries in the world in which the smoking rate is still increasing and has the highest rates of smoking among males in the world, with 80% of Jordanians being exposed to passive smoking. Furthermore, increasing rates of smokening has been detected among women and children in recent years. As a result of the current situation, the cost of treatment for cancer patients and smoking related chronic diseases will also increase.
This debate comes within the awareness efforts made by the University of Jordan and the School of Medicine in particular, as our school hosted the launch of the local report on indicators of tobacco industry interference in Jordan a few months ago, under the patronage of Her Highness Princess Dina Mired. The BelArabi Foundation has also previously contributed to anti-smoking campaigns, and this cooperation comes as a continuation of the efforts made to combat smoking.
It is worth noting that the debate consists of two teams of students: the opposition team, which includes Aseel Al-Najjar, Farah Khreisat, and Anas Abu Artima, and the loyalty team, which includes Lina Hiasat, Aseel Al-Nawafleh, and Zaid Al-Mansi. Each of the two teams presented the points on which their argument is based. Furethermore, the teams worked to refute the points of the opposing team. The arbitration committee consists of Dr. Tariq Gharaibeh, Assistant Professor of medicine, who holds the American Board of Internal Medicine and Jordanian and American Fellowships in Chest Diseases, Intensive Care, and Sleep Medicine; Dr. Mounir Abu Hilala, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, holds a British Fellowship in Preventive Medicine, as well as many awards in cancer; and is a member of the Epidemiology Committee during the Corona pandemic. Dr. Muhammad Abu Halawa, an international arbitrator, trainer, debater, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Debate and Culture Foundation.
The debate concluded with honoring the winning team, the opposition team. This debate was organized and presented by a team of distinguished students from our beloved university and volunteers with the Bila Arabi Foundation.
The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in Basic Departments Office.