Thirteen Chinese medical colleges will introduce smoking control courses into their curriculum to educate future medical workers on the dangers of smoking, that they will show to their patients. Surveys show that more than half of China's male doctors are smokers.

The initiative will be the first time Chinese universities have offered such courses, Shen Huahao, Vice Dean of the School of Medicine at Zhejiang University, said on March16. The school is among 13 medical colleges, including Peking Union Medical College and medical schools at Peking University and Fudan University, to take part in the program.

At least 6,500 students are expected to take the courses each year as part of a five-year anti-smoking education program, Shen said.