Academics and consultant doctors have called on the concerned authorities to establish a scientific research center for Qat and its harms under the supervision of Sana’a University.
At the end of the first scientific conference on “The Harms of Qat to the Health of Individuals and Society”, organized in three days by the Faculty of Medicine at Sana’a University, the participants called on the Ministry of Agriculture and concerned authorities to ban the import of pesticides and fertilizers for Qat cultivation, which cause serious harms to human health, the spread of oncological diseases and harm to the agricultural soils.
The participants recommended that the concerned authorities prevent the development of new agricultural lands for Qat cultivation, find agricultural alternatives and encourage farmers to grow economically viable crops, such as cereals, vegetables and fruits, which benefit society and the national economy. The expansion of coffee cultivation should be the top priority.
The ministries of health, endowments and information are recommended to raise awareness among community members about the harms of Qat, through health education, mosque preachers, satellite channels and local radio.
The participants stressed the need to include study topics in the school curricula and university curricula requirements that shed light on the harms of Qat and its negative effects on the health of individuals and society, and the economic, social and development aspects of the country.
The recommendations stressed the need to create alternative jobs for that segment of the society working in the Qat cultivation and sale. The cultural and sports activities should be expanded and promoted to motivate young people to quit chewing Qat, which hinders the progress and prosperity of the country.
Today, a number of researchers and professors have delivered a number of research papers on “Qat and its impact on nerve impulses; published scientific studies on the effects of Qat in medical conditions; the impact of Qat on the bioavailability of aspirin; the effect of Qat; overviews of Qat interactions with medicines; Qat and the formation of fungal and bacterial colonies in the mouth among students; and Qat and the increase in the rate of streptococcal bacteria that lead to tooth decay in adult women in Yemen.”