Sharad Vaidya was an Indian surgeon who specialized in cancer surgery. He established the Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

 Cancer Society and founded the Gosalia Memorial Cancer Hospital and the National Organisation for Tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 Eradication.NOTE (India)

NOTE (India)

- History :NOTE is a National federation of 20 Non-Governmental Organisations that came together during a meeting in Goa, India in 1992 under the leadership of Dr Sharad Vaidya, who was the National Chairman from 1992 until his death in 2000...

 

He convinced the Goa Assembly to pass the Goa Prohibition of Tobacco Act 1997. This act is the culmination of 30 years of efforts to educate the people and children of Goa about the harmful effects of tobacco on health, economy and ecology, and effectively reducing the rates of tobacco-related diseases such as heart disease

Heart disease

Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

 and cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 in the last decade of the 20th century. The law has been the harbinger of similar laws in rest of India and far ahead of similar laws in UK and Europe. It also raised the legal minimum smoking age to 21.

Vaidya spent thirty years on tobacco research. The educational material he produced is now included in the regular curriculum of schools by the Department of Education since 1994.

In 1986, he was awarded an Ornamental Silver Lamp and Certificate of Appreciation the 25th Silver Jubilee celebrations at the hands of the President of India, for “his outstanding contribution to Goa’s progress”.

In 1989, Vaidya was awarded a Gold Medal and Commemorative Certificate on the 2nd World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative...

 for “his continuing commitment in the field of health to the cause of Tobacco Free Societies” by World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland.