Outdoor smoking in hospitals and health facilities. Should it be banned?

Abstract or Introduction

Smoke free policies in health care settings have not been well regulated even though hospitals are an obvious place where smoking should not be tolerated. Tobacco remains the largest avoidable illness and death in United States and responsible for 1 out of 5 deaths. It is still considered as an epidemic to women with the lung cancer dipping in men. The smoke has killed over 60 million people since World War II. Banning smoking outdoors in health care facilities provides a better healing environment for patients. Health care facilities need to adopt smoking-free polices in an effort to promoting and protecting public health. It is essential that important that the health care and social services agencies promote behaviors that lead to good health (Kaufman & Lewin, 1997). Tobacco use has remained the most preventable cause of illness hence the need for health care facilities environment to remain healthier and safer for both workers and patients. Tobacco smoking also impacts healthcare costs through medical illness and indirectly through lost productivity. The ban will ensure that there is reduced maintenance and cleaning costs including decreased accidents, fires, and health insurance costs. All this efforts are towards ensuring an increased life functioning and quality of life. It is unethical to support the use of a substance which is responsible for millions of death. It is even ironical to allow it in healthcare setups when it has contributed to increase in patients in the hospitals with diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema (Bernhard, 2011).