PRESS RELEASE: Strict tobacco control policy is needed to achieve tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 as declared by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Therefore, the chairpersons of the parliamentary standing committees on various ministries have urged to amend the existing tobacco control laws.
They made the remark at a discussion held at the office of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday (August 31). The meeting was jointly organized by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and Tobacco Free Bangladesh Platform.
Speakers at the meeting said that there are some loopholes in the existing tobacco control law, as a result of which the law is not able to play a proper role in reducing tobacco use. They called for the law to be brought in line with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-FCTC.
The meeting was chaired by Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP. Shamsul Haque Tuku MP, the chairman of the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs; Maqbool Hossain MP, Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Land; Rezaul Karim Bablu MP, Khodeja Nasrin Akhter Hossain MP and Khadijatul Anwar MP were present at the meeting.
The meeting discussed six important amendments to the Tobacco Control Law. Especially at this time of COVID pandemic, they proposed necessary amendments to make all types of public places and public transport 100% tobacco free. They also said that according to FCTC, it is necessary to ban the display of tobacco products in shops, ban CSR of tobacco companies, ban the import, production, sale and use of e-cigarettes, fix the size of packaging of tobacco products and ban the retail sale of tobacco products.
In his speech, Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that in order to make the country tobacco free by 2040 as per the announcement of the Prime Minister, the existing tobacco control law needs to be amended in some sections. If the law is amended, it will be able to play vital role in protecting public health more effectively.
Emphasizing on the need to protect public health, Maqbool Hossain MP said that in order to reduce the use of tobacco, the availability of these harmful products should be reduced. He said that indirect advertisements of tobacco should be stopped.
Among others Professor Khandaker Abdul Awal (Rizvi), Secretary General of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Professor Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation Hospital were present at the meeting.
NEWS FROM Mahamud Setu. Media Manager, Anti-tobacco Program. National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. #
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