E-cigarettes have been suggested as a solution to visitors of the Hull Royal Infirmary experiencing an unpleasant smoky environment outside the hospital.
The chief executive of the hospital Chris Long regards the e-cigarette as a pragmatic solution after a recent smoking ban, after attempts to restrict both patients and staff smoking outside the entrances of the hospital during busy periods has proved a difficult task.
Long praises, "I think a much more humane, and probably liberal, approach to the use of e-cigarettes in and around hospital would be a significant help to those patients. I have a view that many people find e-cigarettes a much more satisfactory substitute than chewing gum or patches. I am not aware of any evidence that they create harm."
E-cigarettes are recognised by Hull’s Health and Wellbeing Board as a viable alternative to traditional tobacco products. The city public health manager Tim Fielding commented on the use of e-cigarettes in public places and said that users should not be forced into smoking shelters with tobacco smokers, “There is strong evidence that the benefits vastly outweigh the harms. E-cigarettes, from what we know at the moment, are an enormous opportunity to vastly improve rates of morbidity”.
The increase of smoking bans in public places such as hospitals like Hull Royal Infirmary is a step towards creating healthier environments for the public, and serves as an encouraging factor for switching to an alternative to tobacco products.
