PANAJI
“Around 300 to 350 cases of tobacco related cancers are found in Goa which include oral cavity, tongue, larynx, lung and others which amounts to around 20 to 25% of total 1500 new cases of all types of cancer seen in Goa every year. As our incidence of tobacco consumption of all types is around 9 to 10% this is comparatively less. Compared to North Indian states where tobacco related cancers are Around 45% of total number of cancers as their tobacco consumption prevalence is around 35 to 45%,” stated Dr Shekhar Salkar, president, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE) India. Dr Salkar further added, “It is a great achievement of our efforts lead by late Dr Sharad Vaidya. With the help and support of government, bureaucrats, print and electronic media, we constantly highlighted the ill effects of tobacco in students and general population and were successful in banning gutka by making changes in public health laws as well as we could reasonably well implement the COTPA Act.”
