Have pity on the children

The end frame of the Tak Nak TV commercials created by Limkokwing Integrated.

I REMEMBER seeing a patient in my clinic, a child of seven who previously had multiple admissions to the paediatric ward for bronchial asthma. Further questioning revealed that the child had, among others, a father who smoked in the house and in his car while the children were around. He persisted in smoking even though his three-year-old daughter kept telling him “tak nak.”

What ensued was a very defensive father and a doctor who knew advising him to stop smoking was getting nowhere. Some parents become very defensive when healthcare officers advise them not to smoke especially with their children around.