KATHMANDU: Health experts today said that the government should ban the sale of tobacco products.

Speaking at an interaction, cancer specialist Dr Bishnu Dutta Paudel shared the ways to prevent cancer. “Tobacco products have been found to be the main cause of cancer. Eighty per cent cancer cases are caused due to the use of tobacco,” said Dr Paudel.

“Use of tobacco also causes heart diseases. The tobacco users should do a regular heart-check up,” said Dr Anil Bhattarai, Heart Specialist.

AIG Rajendra Singh Bhandari said, “If everyone makes an effort to ban the use of tobacco items, no Nepali will die of cancer.”

“First of all, every responsible government officials should implement this step. I would like to express my commitment to ban tobacco products in Nepal Police Academy from today,” he said.

AIG Singh said that if the anti-tobacco campaign continued for two-three years, cancer related diseases could be eliminated from the country.

Babu Kaji Baniya, Under Secretary of Law Department of the Ministry of Health and Population, said, “The Ministry of Health and Population is ready to implement the anti-tobacco law effectively,” added Baniya. “We have already directed all the Chief District Officers to implement the law.”

Baniya informed that the government was going to monitor the market regarding implementation of Health Directives.

“If we find someone illegally producing and distributing tobacco items, the government will take stern action against them,” said Baniya.

Smoking prevalence is very high according to statistics which put the figures as 40 per cent.