Opinion Meeting Urges Swift Approval of Health Ministry’s Tobacco Act Amendments
UBINIG (Policy-Based Research on Development Alternatives) organized a discussion on "Demand for early approval of the proposed draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act by the Ministry of Health" on public health protection and non-communicable disease control. The meeting was held on 19 November 2025 (Wednesday) at the WVA Auditorium in Dhanmondi, the capital. Representatives from various professions including public health experts, women leaders, researchers, tobacco control workers were present at the event.
The meeting was informed that 442 people die every day in Bangladesh due to tobacco and the annual economic loss due to tobacco is more than 3,560 crore taka. To reduce these preventable deaths and protect the young generation from the harmful effects of tobacco, it is imperative that the government takes visible steps to protect public health by quickly approving the proposed draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act.
The Department of Health Services has proposed several amendments to the existing Tobacco Control Act 2005 (amended 2013) to make it more compatible with the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The important proposals include banning designated smoking areas or smoking zones in public places, completely banning the display and advertising of all types of tobacco products, protecting young people from the harmful effects of e-cigarettes, stopping the retail sale of bidi and cigarette sticks, banning social responsibility programs or CSR activities of tobacco companies, and increasing the pictorial warnings on tobacco product packaging to 90 percent. In line with this, the government has already banned the import of e-cigarettes and announced a halt to the production of e-cigarettes within the country.
In her speech at the meeting, Taslima Akhtar, President of Bangladesh Garment Workers' Solidarity, and a photographer, said, "The youth have participated in the fight against fascism, why are those youth who are addicted to tobacco being taken to their side? Who is responsible for this? The tobacco law should be strengthened and the youth should be brought back from tobacco."
Ferdous Rawshan Ara, Additional Secretary, Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, expressed concern over the 442 deaths per day and said that every proposal to amend the Tobacco Act is reasonable. He assured that his ministry will be informed about this proposal and provide necessary assistance. Former Chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, Mostafizur Rahman, said that BAT itself has put a warning on its website about its product. That is, it is a deadly product. Every year, one tobacco takes the lives of 161,000 people. Despite this horrific information, postponing the amendment of the law with updated information and various lame arguments means prolonging the death march. The government's will is enough to stop this preventable death march. Aminur Rasul, a member of the Health Movement Network, said in his speech.
