Strict tobacco control law will reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, PROGGA, ATMA tell advisor

Research and advocacy organisation PROGGA - Knowledge for Progress - and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance, or ATMA, have urged the government to implement strict tobacco control laws to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

PROGGA and ATMA raised red flags regarding the goal to achieve a total smoke-free environment while proposed designated smoking areas existed.

On Monday, a delegation from the two organisations held a meeting with Commerce Advisor Sk Bashir Uddin at the Secretariat.

The advocacy team spoke to the advisor about the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s initiative to “eliminate” designated smoking areas through a law amendment to safeguard non-smokers from the health hazards of passive smoking.

The press release read: “As a person enters or exits smoking zones at hotels and restaurants, cigarette smoke leaks and makes all patrons, including women and children, inhale secondhand smoke. Hospitality workers also fall victim to passive smoking while providing service.”

The meeting also mentioned: “The prevalence of tobacco use in Bangladesh was the highest among South Asian countries, with a rate of 35.3 percent (GATS, 2017), compared with 28.6 percent in India and 19.1 percent in Pakistan.”

“Tobacco related deaths and diseases works as a major impediment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal-3 (SDG-3), which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all,” the statement added.

“Tobacco claims nearly 161,000 lives each year in Bangladesh. The financial loss incurred from tobacco-related deaths and diseases is much higher than the revenue earned from the tobacco sector.”