By Nadir Al-Anzi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

TABUK — The Ministry of Health, which is fighting smoking on a large scale, is planning to establish special rooms for smokers in its main buildings, according to informed sources.

The sources said the ministry has announced a tender for the contractors to build the rooms which should not be less than three meters high, with automatic doors, secluded from the other neighboring buildings, should not be located in the passages used by non-smokers and should have an area of 1.4 sq. meter for each smoking person.

The tender was placed on the Etimad e-platform of the Finance Ministry and said the tender letters will be opened on Aug. 30.

The sources said within its war against smoking, the ministry has set up special clinics for smokers to give up the bad habit supplying them with free-of-charge medicines.

They said during the first half of 2019, the clinics have helped as many as 11,441 smokers give up smoking.

Meanwhile, Minister of Labor and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi has approved the guiding directory banning smoking at work places from September.

The directory threatened smokers at work places with punishment but said the ministries and government departments can build special rooms for smokers in their main buildings.