The Gonoshasthaya Kendra has demanded the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the existing Tobacco Control Act and called on the government to cancel its meetings with tobacco companies, citing a violation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
The demand was made at a seminar organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh on Tuesday (19 August) titled “The Importance of Amending Tobacco Control Law to Protect Non-Smokers: The Role of Physicians.”
Speakers at the seminar emphasized that seeking the opinion of tobacco companies during the amendment process is unacceptable. They said it constitutes a direct violation of WHO FCTC Article 5.3 and poses a serious threat to public health. They urged the government to withdraw this decision and approve the proposed amendments in the advisory council meeting of the Ministry of Health without delay.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute. He stated, every year, over 161,000 people die in Bangladesh due to tobacco-related illnesses, and more than 400,000 suffer from disability. Additionally, approximately 38.4 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke every day. In this situation, delaying the amendment of the existing Tobacco Control Law amounts to negligence toward public health.
He added, unfortunately, the government has decided to accept the opinion of tobacco companies under the guise of a stakeholder meeting, which is a clear violation of WHO FCTC Article 5.3 and a serious threat to public health. We strongly urge the government to reverse this decision and approve the proposed amendments in the Health Ministry advisory council meeting without delay.
In his presidential address, Professor Dr. Habibullah Talukder Raskin, Project Coordinator and Head of the Cancer Prevention Department at Gonoshasthaya Community-Based Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, said, On average, 442 people die prematurely every day due to tobacco use. Delays in amending the law are unacceptable, and the government must bear responsibility for these preventable deaths.
He further noted that although Bangladesh was an early signatory of the WHO FCTC, the current decision to seek tobacco companies’ opinions is against public interest. Tobacco companies aim only for profit, not public health. Accepting their opinions disregards the welfare of the people, he added.
Speakers also highlighted six key proposed amendments to the existing tobacco control law by the ministry of health: elimination of designated smoking areas (dsas) to make all public places and public transport completely smoke-free; ban on tobacco product displays at points of sale; complete prohibition of corporate social responsibility (csr) activities by tobacco companies; protection of adolescents and young people from all emerging tobacco products, including e-cigarettes; increase the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50% to 90% and ban on the sale of loose sticks, unpackaged, and smokeless tobacco products.
The seminar was attended by leading medical professionals, including Prof. Dr. Mujibul Haque, Prof. Dr. Akram Hossain, Prof. Dr. Khorshed Alam, Dr. Mohammed Saeed-uz-Zaman of Gonoshasthya Nagar Hospital, Dr. Aruna Sarkar, Project Coordinator, and Abu Jafor, Senior Communications Officer at the National Heart Foundation, along with a host of other doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers.