Kathmandu, September 24:

Around 15 per cent of the total population of the country, numbering about 40 lakh, is suffering from heart disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is also estimated that hundreds of thousands people have died due to the disease. WHO also said that heart disease would be the number one killer disease by 2020 in developing countries.

“On one hand, there is an increasing unhealthy lifestyle, eating habits, unbalanced diets. On the other, physical exercise is lacking, leading inevitably to heart disease,” said a press release issued here today by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP).

According to the WHO, annually close to two crore people die due to heart disease, of which 85 lakh belong to developing countries. This year, the slogan for World Heart Day is “Healthy Weight for Healthy Heart”. World Heart day is observed every year on September 25. The Ministry of Health and Population has been coordinating with the Nepal Heart Disease Relief Academy and the members of Nepal Heart Network to provide treatment and preventive measures to fight against heart disease. MoHP is also organising varied programmes to create awareness about the disease tomorrow. MoHP has appealed to all citizens to eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly to control weight as excessive weight is the major cause of heart disease.