Bengaluru,Jul 28: The Department of Health and Family Welfare declared cancer as a notified disease on Monday in an effort to create awareness about tobacco-related cancers. The government also launched a software to keep tabs on the implementation of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
The Home department in association with the Karnataka National Informatics Centre (NIC) has developed a state-of-the-art software to monitor the implementation of COTPA across the State. “Now, even the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police will have to submit a report on the action taken under COTPA and the same will be available at the NIC, ” said Health Minister U T Khader.
Karnataka sees nearly 50,000 cancer cases each year and the total number of cases at any given time is around 1,37,889. The national cancer registry program estimates that one in 12 people in the State may be prone to cancer, Khader added. He also sought cooperation from public representatives by not exerting any pressure on the police while implementing the Act.
Dr Vishal Rao, oncologist and member of High Power Committee for Tobacco Control, welcomed the move and said that apart from treatment options, now there will be workshops and other approaches to create awareness about cancer in society.
Dr Ravindranath, Vice Chancellor, RGUHS, said that the university is going to create awareness among its staff about cancer and hold workshops for students. “The risk factors of tobacco will be included in academics,” he said. Meanwhile, Nalini, who lost her voice box to cancer, thanked the government for declaring cancer as a notified disease and said that it can be the first step to warn potential smokers of the health hazards of the habit.
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