Dealing with our heart patients who are smokers has always been a major dilemma, ever since I started my clinical practice in internal medicine and cardiology.

Doctors like me have persuaded, motivated, even threatened patients to make them stop smoking. We’re only successful in around three out of 10 cases.

We reach exasperation point with recalcitrant smokers such that if they’re not able to quit smoking in six months, we advise them to see another physician.