On June 10th & 11th, a delegation from Türkiye visited Ireland for a 2 day site visit to hear and learn about our experience in Ireland of Tobacco control legislation, Tobacco control monitoring by Environmental Health Services, delivery of stop smoking care, and implementation of tobacco free environments. The delegation included the Junior Minister of Health in Türkiye, along with public health doctors and tobacco control professionals. The visit was supported by the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
There were shared learning experiences and good collaboration across the two days, with presentations in the Department of Health offices in Dublin, including input from the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme. There was also a visit to meet Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor (Minister of State – with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and The National Drugs Strategy) in Leinster House, which was followed by a visit to Dublin Port to hear and see first-hand tobacco control at the point of entry to the country, as implemented by colleagues in Environmental Health Services.
There was also a site visit to the Summerhill Primary Care Centre in Dublin’s North Inner City. There, the delegation heard about the local stop smoking service, the implementation of the smoke-free homes initiative in the area, and the new traveller stop smoking pilot service. Presentations were made by local stop smoking advisors Miriam Hudson and Catherine Heaney, the Coordinator of the Dublin City Community Coop (DCCC), Sonia McDermott, and local traveller stop smoking advisor Barbara McDonnell.
This was a wonderful opportunity for all to showcase all the good work happening locally and nationally in tobacco control in Ireland.
A huge Thank You to all involved for their support with this event.