Health ministry implements new guidelines for tobacco product warning labels

Kathmandu, Feb 6: The Ministry of Health and Population has passed the ‘Guidelines for Printing Warning Messages and Pictures on Boxes, Packets, and Wrappers of Tobacco Products-2081’.

Endorsing the Guidelines, the Ministry stated that the sale and purchase of tobacco products without warning messages and pictures would not be allowed.

On the occasion, Health Minister Pradip Paudel said that the rule of mandatorily printing pictures depicting the harm to human health on boxes, packets, and wrappers of tobacco products has come into force, stressing the need for everyone to coordinate to follow the rule and ensure others follow it.

The Guidelines will come into force on the 180th day after their endorsement.

Spokesperson for the Ministry, Dr. Prakash Budhathoki, said an arrangement has been made to print warning messages in the Nepali language and pictures on the entire box, packet, and wrapper of tobacco products in Nepal. Some studies have shown that the number of people quitting cigarettes and tobacco has increased in some countries due to such messages and pictures.

Earlier, it was necessary to print warning messages and pictures covering 90 percent of the space on the box, packet, and wrapper of tobacco products.

It is expected that such warning messages will help reduce the number of smokers, as well as the number of people suffering from cancer and other fatal diseases.

He further said that according to statistics, around 37,000 people die from the consumption of tobacco products every year in Nepal.

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