Experts at a seminar on Tuesday said that public health must be given the highest priority, and the proposed amendment to the Tobacco Control Act should be passed without delay.
They made this call at a national seminar organized by the Development Organization of the Rural Poor (DORP) on Tuesday at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital. Speakers at the event stressed the urgency of amending the law to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh.
The welcome speech was delivered by DORP Founder and Chief Executive AHM Noman. The keynote paper was presented by DORP Deputy Executive Director Mohammad Zobayer Hasan, who highlighted six important amendment proposals aligned with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
These included— abolishing designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport; banning the display of tobacco products at points of sale; prohibiting corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by tobacco companies; adopting necessary measures to protect children, adolescents, and youth from the harmful impact of e-cigarettes; banning retail and loose sales of tobacco products; and increasing the size of graphic health warnings from 50% to 90%.
As the chief guest, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum said there is no alternative to passing the proposed amendment quickly. “There is no scope to take opinions from tobacco companies in this process. The Chief Adviser must give priority to the passage of this amendment without delay,” she emphasized.
Speaking as special guest, National Tobacco Control Cell Director General Md Akhtaruzz-Zaman noted that around 161,000 people die annually in Bangladesh due to tobacco-related diseases—an average of 442 deaths per day—while millions more suffer from illnesses.
He criticized the misleading claims of tobacco companies that the amendment would reduce government revenue.
“In reality, since the enactment of the law in 2005 and its amendment in 2013, government revenue has increased 12.5 times, while between 2009 and 2017 tobacco use fell by 18%. Clearly, reduced consumption does not affect revenue,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDC Member and Former Secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad stated that seeking input from the tobacco industry during the amendment process directly violates Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, to which Bangladesh is a signatory. He stressed that tobacco industry representatives must be kept entirely away from lawmaking.
In his remarks, Former Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division Hossain Ali Khondker said Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has already warned that without raising awareness among young people, the next generation will face serious risks.
“Therefore, public health must take precedence over the interests of the tobacco industry, and no consultation meetings should be held with them,” he added.
Tobacco control youth representatives Tabassum Khanam Ratri and Sabur Ahmed Kajol also called for immediate passage of the amendment, urging the government not to involve the tobacco industry but to move forward solely in the interest of protecting public health.