Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has publicly backed the findings of a new report showing the urgent need to reduce tobacco use in Nepal. The report from the Nepal Development Research Institute shows that smoking is a bigger killer in Nepal than in any other South Asian country. Over 37,000 Nepalis died from smoking in 2019 – that’s nearly one in five (19.4%) of all deaths, twice the rate in 1990 and well ahead of India where just 13.1% of deaths are caused by tobacco. And the rate of death from tobacco has increased more in Nepal in the last 30 years than in any other country in the world.

NDRI is part of a coalition of organisations calling for politicians to:

.     Match the levels of tobacco taxation in India by 2025

.    Ban the sale of cigarettes as single sticks

·   ​Stop the reopening of government cigarette factories

·   ​End tobacco sales within 100 metres of schools and hospitals

At the second National Health Summit conference last month,where the report was launched, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba endorsed the report’s findings saying:

“This report provides a worrying snapshot of the impact that tobacco is having on the lives of Nepalese now and the impact it will have in the future if we don’t take action. This confirms that tobacco control must be central to Government’s mission to improve health across the country.” The PM’s endorsement signals that a future Nepali government led by the Nepali Congress party would take tough action to curb smoking. This is backed up by the party’s manifesto, published last week, which now includes a commitment to increase tobacco tax. The NDRI, other members of the tobacco control coalition and other health experts and campaigners are now writing to other party leaders to seek confirmation that the next government, whoever leads it, will do what is necessary to bring down smoking-related deaths and disease. Dr Jaya Kumar Gurung, from the NDRI, said: “When it comes to the number of people who die from smoking, Nepal is a tragic outlier. If we’re going to change this, then the next government will need to take the necessary action. We need higher tax on tobacco and restrictions on sales, and we need it urgently. We welcome the PM’s support and call on all party leaders to confirm they are treating this health problem with the seriousness it deserves.” The NDRI’s new report comes with the endorsement of Bhawani Prasad Khapung, Minister for Health and Population. In a foreword to the report, he writes: “If we do not act now, Nepal is on track to lose over 400,000 lives in the next 10 years because of tobacco. We must urgently step up our efforts to prevent these forecasts from being realized. “I am hopeful that this report will be helpful for policymakers, managers, decision-makers, evaluators, researchers, academics and that it will motivate a multi-sectoral effort at turning these trends around. Such efforts will have the full support of the Ministry of Health and Population and I look forward to collaborating with a range of stakeholders on this important agenda.” The report is also endorsed by Nepal Medical Association and the Nepal Cancer Relief Society.