Kathmandu, June 8

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has signed an agreement to be part of Partnership for Healthy Cities.

Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of cities committed to saving lives by preventing non-communicable diseases and injuries. It is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with WHO. Fifty cities from all over the world are part of this network.

“KMC is committed to making the city smoke-free,” said Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health. He informed that 14 cities from Asia, including three from India and one from Nepal,  signed the agreement to reduce non-communicable diseases by making the cities smoke-free.

“Fifty-one per cent of people in the world die due to smoking and tobacco consumption, while in Nepal, 31 a people die due to smoking and tobacco,” he said, adding, “We signed the agreement with Asia Pacific Mayor Alliance for Tobacco Control a year ago.”

Dr Radhika Thapaliya, chief health education administrator at National Health Education Information and Communication Centre, said the government had not been able to implement Tobacco Product (Control and Regulatory) Act.

The Tobacco Product (Control and Regulatory) Act amended in 2011 has restricted consumption of tobacco products in 12 public areas like government offices, educational institutions, health facilities, parks, religious places, theatres and airports.

According to Non-communicable Disease Risk Factors: STEPS Survey Nepal 2013, 30.5 per cent of the total population of the country smoke or consume tobacco products and 36.1 per cent are affected as second-hand smokers.

Also the act has provided right to inspect, investigate and prosecution to all the 77 chief district officers and 759 local levels. “Only Dadeldhura district has punished and fined Rs 15,000 to those who sell and smoke in public places,” she added.

Speaking at an interaction organised here today, Mayor of KMC Bidhya Sundar Shakya said that KMC had been working hard to make the city smoke-free and sought support from all quarters.

Urban Health Division of KMC on February 25 had forwarded a plan to promote healthy lifestyle. However, even three months after the plan was endorsed, municipal authorities have not initiated even a single programme to control purchase, sale and consumption of tobacco products.

Nepal had signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Strategy on December 3, 2003 and ratified it on November 7, 2006. Based on the FCTC, the government has enacted the laws aiming to control tobacco consumption.

The Tobacco Product (Control and Regulatory) Act 2011 is the primary law governing tobacco control in Nepal.