Ban On Tobacco Ad

HEALTH, by natural instinct, is of primary concern to most human beings all over the world. Considering the huge burden a nation may have to face if it has very many unhealthy people, governments also make it a point to give top priority to the health sector. It is no different in Nepal. However, considering the extreme poverty of the majority of the people of this impoverished country and also taking into account the minimum resources in the hand of the government, providing health facilities to all is a Herculean task. Just the fact that the government has been able to spend only US $ 5 for the treatment of each patient in primary health care centres, whereas it should have been spending at least US $ 36, clearly illustrates the poor state of this important sector. Adding woes to this already difficult situation, is the fact that people are suffering from many diseases, which could have been prevented with proper care and awareness. Cancer is one among such diseases. Each year, more and more Nepalese are suffering from this disease due to lack of awareness and proper preventive measures. In fact, at the Second SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Conference of Clinical Oncology that is taking place in Kathmandu at present, it was revealed that there are 50,000 additional cases of cancer in Nepal each year.

This is indeed a disturbing news. It is further alarming to know that many cases of cancer occur because of the consumption of tobacco. In spite of a massive campaign to create awareness among the people that all forms of tobacco are harmful for health, still, many people consume tobacco products without knowing the damage they are causing to their own bodies. In many developed countries of the world, cigarette smoking has been banned in public places. Most aware people also refrain from smoking on their own, knowing the harmful effects of smoking. However here in Nepal, while smoking is virtually a way of life in rural areas, in the urban centres smoking is taken as a fashion, specially by the youths. The blame for this goes to the massive promotional campaign initiated by the tobacco companies to boost their business. Therefore, it is encouraging that His Majesty’s Government is considering to issue a ban on the advertisement of tobacco products. This was revealed by Minister for Health Dr. Upendra Devkota when he inaugurated the regional conference on clinical oncology. With the banning of such advertisements and creating awareness on a better and healthier lifestyle among the people, it can be hoped the cases of the deadly disease of cancer can be brought down significantly and the misery of both the sufferers and their close ones can be lessened.