Kathmandu, March 22
The illiterate people have a higher rate of incidence of cancer in Nepal, shows a study conducted by Action Nepal, a non-governmental organisation working on advancing tobacco control in Nepal.
The organisation’s report finds 46 per cent of illiterate people contracted cancer caused by the consumption of tobacco products.
In 2019, the organisation carried out a study on the financial burden facing tobacco-caused cancer patients seeking treatments. The study found the rate of incidence of tobacco-caused cancer cases in people who have obtained higher education is just 1.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, the report says 16 per cent of the patients with cancer in Nepal sought treatment by selling off their properties including houses and land. Similarly, 27.2 per cent bore treatment costs through their savings, and 60 per cent took loans from their relatives.
