Speakers at a view-exchange meeting stressed the need of strengthening the tobacco control law along with raising tax and prices of tobacco products to protect the country's youth as 48 percent of the total population of Bangladesh is youth.
The demand came from a discussion held at the office of the Dhaka Ahsania Mission in capital’s Dhanmondi on Saturday.
Director General (Joint Secretary) of National Tobacco Control Cell-NTCC Akhtaruz-Zaman was present as a discussant in the meeting with Iqbal Masud, Director of Health and Wash Sector of Dhaka Ahsania Mission in the chair.
At that time, NTCC Director General (Joint Secretary) Akhtaruz-Zaman called upon the youth society to be active in making strong demands through social media to strengthen the tobacco control law, stating that the youth society will play a vital role in building a tobacco-free Bangladesh.
The discussion also highlighted health hazards of tobacco, deceptive tactics employed by tobacco companies, policy advocacy, and communication strategies.
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco-related illnesses claim 442 lives daily in Bangladesh.
Among others, Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Chowdhury, Head of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation, Md. Abdus Salam Miah, Programs Manager at Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Bangladesh (CTFK), Humaira Sultana, Communications Manager at CTFK, and Marjana Muntaha, Coordinator of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Wellbeing, took part at the discussion.
