KATHMANDU: Heart disease, world’s largest killer, has infected 4 million people in Nepal- a five fold increase since 1999. Data released today by Nepal Heart Net have sown that a total of

15 percent of the population - approximately 4 million- are currently suffering from heart ailments in Nepal.

Worldwide, 17.5 million lives are lost every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

The main culprits are growing consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and junk food, accompanied by physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, stress, diabetes and unhealthy diet.

Addressing an interaction organised by Nepal Heart Net(NHN), Prabin Mishra, secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) said that the number of people suffering from the heart disease has increased.

“A tobacco-free work environment was a

must to contain the ever-increasing heart disease,” said Mishra, addressing

a function organised in

the capital to commemorate the World Heart

Day, with the slogan ‘Work with Heart’.

Mishra added that

tobacco-free work environment should be

created by industrialists, business person, workers themselves, employers and policy makers.

President of the Heart Club Nepal, Dr Krishna Jung Rana, opined that the healthy productive age groups were the backbone of the country’s economy and they must avoid the use of tobacco.

“The use of tobacco in work places must be completely prohibited,” viewed Rana, adding that non-smoker should be given encouragement.

On the occasion , experts appealed the concerned groups for the establishment of healthy working environment by making the work place free of tobacco.

Dr Mrigendra Raj Pandey, president of

Mrigendra Samjhana Medical Trust, said

that the MoHP should

take the lead in drafting anti-tobacco regulations in Nepal. He shared that after Britain prohibited smoking in public places, the number of heart patients had climbed down by 10 percent.