Doctors and health professionals have demanded the swift passage of the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act for the protection of public health and prevention of non-communicable diseases, as well as refraining from holding meetings with tobacco companies regarding the amendment process.
On Sunday (21 September), this demand was raised at a solidarity event organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission in front of the National Parliament Building, calling for the immediate amendment of the Tobacco Control Act.
Iqbal Masud, Director of Health and WASH Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said that the use of tobacco products is one of the main causes of various non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases. In Bangladesh, more than 161,000 people die prematurely each year due to tobacco use. To reduce these preventable deaths and to protect the young generation from the harmful effects of tobacco, the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act drafted by the Ministry of Health must be passed without delay.
In line with the FCTC, Dr. Naila Parveen, Assistant Director (Medical Services) of the Health and WASH Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, highlighted six key proposed amendments to the existing law drafted by the Health Services Division. These are: eliminating designated smoking areas in all public places and public transport to protect non-smokers; banning tobacco product displays at points of sale to prevent promotion; prohibiting corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of tobacco companies; taking necessary measures to protect children, adolescents, and young people from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes; banning all forms of retail and loose sales of tobacco products; and increasing the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco packaging from 50 percent to 90 percent.
In July, a meeting of the advisory committee formed to review the draft of the “Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024” decided to hold stakeholder consultations on the law amendment. Based on this, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has scheduled a meeting with tobacco companies on 23 September.
Speakers further said that this is a clear violation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). According to this article, the views of tobacco companies or their allies are not acceptable in the drafting of any country’s tobacco control laws, regulations, or policies. Since Bangladesh is a signatory to the FCTC, it is bound to uphold this commitment.
To establish a tobacco policy free from industry influence, no decisions can be made in consultation with tobacco companies regarding the amendment of the law. The government must fully comply with Article 5.3 of the FCTC and must not violate it under any circumstances.
Honorable Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, at the recent signing ceremony of a joint declaration by 35 ministries on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, said: “If the youth cannot be made aware of the dangers of tobacco, the future of the next generation will be uncertain.” Therefore, in the process of amending the Tobacco Control Act, public health must be given priority—not the interests of tobacco companies.
