Dimapur, June 30 (MExN): In view of the increasing trend of tobacco related diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease in the society and also to improve cleanliness, the authority of District Hospital Dimapur will strictly enforce Section 4 of Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 which prohibits smoking in public places and section 6 (b) which bans sale of tobacco products near educational institutions with immediate effect. Stating this in a press release, Dr. Z. Kheshito Zhimo, Medical Superintendent, District Hospital Dimapur said that the District Hospital with a Nursing School comes under the purview of educational institution and therefore asked the shop keepers in the hospital campus to desist from storing and selling of tobacco products. The defaulters of the above provisions will be penalized with Rs. 200 as per the provision of the law, it warned. The above measures are being implemented for the interest of all, it said, asking the public in general to extend their cooperation to the initiative.
