As a New Year gift, smokers will be provided free nicotine patches on the NHS so as to help them give up smoking and make a fresh start for 2011.

The Department of Health stated that it was for the first time that the coupons for using nicotine patches for a week on trial basis would be contained in the Quit Kits, which also includes audio downloads and health and wealth wheels that threw light on advantages of quitting smoking.

By the way of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patches, nicotine, which has no harmful effects such as cancer is released slowly into the bloodstream. As per a research, a third of the smoker wish to give up smoking addiction and nicotine patches double their probability to stick to their smoking cessation plan.

The kits will be available at Co-operative and Whitworth pharmacies from January 1 and sometime after; they will also be sold at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Manichem pharmacies, Superdrug and other pharmacies in February and March. The kits can also be ordered online.

Every year, smoking cost NHS billions and a 20-a-day smoker around £2,000, so it would be beneficial providing help to smokers as it along with saving their lives would also save their and NHS money, as expressed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.