Clicky
Country

Meeting held on tobacco products’ display violating TCA


Published : 09 Sep 2021 08:51 PM

Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE), a rights-based research and advocacy forum organised an Exchange of Opinions on disseminating the findings of a study titled “Tobacco Industries' Interventions in promoting Advertisements, Promotion and Sponsorship of Tobacco at Sales Points in Dhaka city of Bangladesh” with the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at NTCC conference room on Wednesday (08 September).

The study focused on exploring Tobacco Industry’s intervention and manipulation through Tobacco Advertisements, Promotion and Sponsorship in violation of the Tobacco Control Act at sales points in Dhaka city.  

Ms Kazi Zebunnessa Begum, Additional Secretary & Programme Director, NTCC attended the meeting as the chief guest while Dr Md Shahadat Hossain Mahmud, Director General (Health Economics Unit) and Khondokar Zakir Hossain, Additional Secretary & Coordinator, NTCC attended as special guests. Lead Policy Adviser of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) Mostafizur Rahman presided over the occasion. 

Among others Joint Secretary (World Health), Nilufer Nazneen; Joint Secretary (Public Health) SM Alam; Deputy Secretary, Sadekul Islam; Deputy Secretary, Khandoker Zakir Hossain from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, CTFK’s Grants Manager Abdus Salam Miah, Senior Policy Adviser Ataur Rahman and Communications Manager Sarker Shams Bin Sharif attended the meeting. Zayed Siddiki, Project coordinator of VOICE presented the key findings of the study.

Kazi Zebunnessa Begum, Additional Secretary and Program Director, NTCC said the Health Ministry is working on strengthening the tobacco control law. She emphasized on strong policy support from all concerns in this connection.

Dr Md Shahadat Hossain Mahmud, Director General of Health Economics Unit said his office is committed to implement tobacco control law and realize Prime Minister’s declaration to make Bangladesh tobacco free by 2040. It is our biggest imperative to take proper action, he added.

Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor of CTFK said though advertisements and sponsorship are illegal by the law, banning of product display at points of sales is needed through the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act.

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Executive Director of VOICE mentioned about the objectives of the meeting and said that the TC Law needs to be strengthened in order to make sure that no violations of the law is taken place.

 This meeting was also attended by Programme Officers of National Tobacco Control Cell Dr Farhadur Reza and Aminul Islam Sujan.