Smoking kills 442 people in Bangladesh every day, claim activists

Tobacco-related illnesses claim an average of 442 lives a day in Bangladesh, according to speakers at a virtual meeting.

The group of doctors, writers, journalists, and activists at the meeting pushed for the speedy passing of the tobacco control law because the longer Bangladesh waits, the higher the death toll will be, the organisers said in a statement.

Dr ABM Abdullah, the personal physician of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and professor emeritus, said: "Tobacco kills. I will present all the detrimental effects of tobacco before the honourable prime minister and make a special request to her for the quick passage of the draft amendment."

The virtual meeting was organised by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance with support from Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.

During the meeting, the invitees said that it was impossible to safeguard non-smokers while allowing designated smoking areas. As such, they pushed for the legal provision allowing them to be eliminated.

“A total of 67 countries, including Nepal, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, have already implemented 100 percent smoke free environment to reduce the harms associated with second-hand smoke,” a press release on the meeting stated.

It also pushed for the banning of the display of tobacco products at points of sale.

“Since the existing tobacco control law falls short of banning display of tobacco products, points-of-sale often tend to display products in such a way to allure the children and the youth,” the statement said.

Zulhas Alam, bureau chief of the Associated Press, said, "It is the sacred responsibility of the state to safeguard children, women and all the non-smokers from the harms of secondhand smoke. That's why we must ensure speedy finalisation of the amendment of the tobacco control law and repeal the provision of DSAs."

The meeting also noted the rise in use of e-cigarettes and vape products, noting that India has already banned such products.

"E-cigarettes are as harmful as tobacco,” said Dr SM Mostofa Zaman, professor in the Cardiology Department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. “E-cigarettes and vaping products must be banned to safeguard the youth."

The anti-tobacco group also urged the government to ensure a complete ban on tobacco companies conducting corporate social responsibility programmes, ban the sale of loose tobacco products and increase the size of the graphic health warning on tobacco product packets.

About 35.3 percent of Bangladeshi adults use tobacco, according to the statement. The country is also the ninth largest consumer of tobacco products in the world.