China will survey the smoking habits among key sectors, including doctors and teachers, in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as it works towards establishing a national network of anti-smoking clinics.

The goal is to have at least one outpatient facility in each province, where smokers would be offered a combination of medical and psychological treatment depending on their nicotine dependence.

According to the Department of Maternal and Child Health Care, the survey, whose parameters were yet to be determined, would study whether people knew of the risks of smoking and how to stop.

China has 350 million smokers and 540 million people affected by passive smoking. These figures mean that two-thirds of the population are either smokers or are subjected to second-hand smoke, with the government estimating that second-hand smoke is responsible for 100,000 deaths each year.

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