While a nation’s development is often measured by its gross domestic product (GDP) or its per capita income, and though their improvement over the years is a valid measure for assessing development, arguably an equally if not more important measure is the overall well-being of a country’s citizenry. When it comes to public health and well-being, it is safe to say that Bangladesh is lagging far behind. It could and should take numerous steps across sectors to do better in this regard.
However, that we lose a reported 161,000 Bangladeshis to tobacco-related diseases -- an average of 442 deaths per day -- is simply unacceptable for a nation that strives to become tobacco-free in the near future. To that end, a recent seminar organized by the Development Organization of the Rural Poor (DORP) has brought up a vital but often overlooked conversation: The need for immediate and uncompromising amendment of the Tobacco Control Act.
Indeed, that public health ought to be given priority should not be a controversial statement; the proposed amendments, from abolishing designated smoking areas and banning tobacco product displays to prohibiting CSR activities by tobacco companies and banning retail and loose sales of tobacco products will all play a part in protecting children and the youth and begin the conversation for envisioning a tobacco-free future.
It is also simultaneously important to crack down on the illegal trade of cigarettes and tobacco products that only seems to be increasing, and is only adding to the public health crisis we are experiencing as a result of tobacco use.
While revenue generation will be a factor for the government, the undeniable damage that tobacco does to the nation should not be ignored. We must recognize that protecting lives cannot be compromised by corporate interests, and that public health must always come first.