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‘33% bureaucrats addicted to smoking’

One in every three senior government official from IAS and IPS cadres is addicted to smoking,thanks to the amount of stress they work under,interventional cardiologist Dr Tarun Madan said on Wednesday,in the run-up to the World No Tobacco Day (May 31).

Associated with HCG Multispeciality Hospital,Dr Madas said work stress was prevalent among young professionals who raced against time to meet hostile deadlines in places like call centres,BPO firms and aggressive marketing.

Dr Madan,along with Dr Mahesh Gadhvi and Dr Anand Shukla,told reporters that more and more persons below the age of 30 were falling prey to cardio-vascular diseases,thanks arterial blockage caused by smoking. “Compared to an average one patient below 30 per month undergoing angioplasty last year,the number has gone up to 12 such patients which is alarming”,said Dr Madan.

He said smoking did not just affect the heart but other areas also due to blockage arteries and that cancer was just another reason to smoking related deaths. “The state government must put a total ban on tobacco consumption in every form instead of just banning gutkha,” he said.