Amsterdam hospital to implement complete smoking ban, inside and out

The OLVG in Amsterdam will be implementing a complete smoking ban at all its locations, both inside and outside, on July 1st next year. In this way the hospital wants to contribute to public health, because cigarettes are not only dangerous for smokers, but also for passive smokers, AT5 reports.

"Smoking in and around a hospital is no longer of this time", Robert Riezebos, cardiologist and head of the OLVG Heart Center, said, according to the broadcaster. Doctors and nursers are confronted every day with the consequences of smoking, such as lung cancer. This type of cancer can be attributed to smoking in more than 90 percent of the cases, he said.

OLVG patients and employees who suffer from a smoking addiction can count on help, the hospital promised. How the smoking ban will be implemented, and what it will mean for patients and visitors, is not yet clear. The hospital will release new information about the practical implementation in January.