Tobacco control law will reduce exposure to secondhand smoking: PROGGA, ATMA tell commerce adviser

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's (MoHFW) has started an initiative to eliminate designated smoking areas (DSAs) through a law amendment to safeguard non-smokers from the health hazards of passive smoking. 

A delegation from research and advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) held a meeting with the Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin today (10 March) at his office in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

During the meeting, PROGGA-ATMA delegation team informed the Commerce Adviser regarding the initiative, said a press release.

"A 100% smoke-free environment cannot be achieved if DSAs continue to exist. Especially, 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," reads the press release.

It was further informed by PROGGA-ATMA that the prevalence of tobacco use in Bangladesh is the highest among South Asian countries, with a rate of 35.3% (GATS, 2017), compared to 28.6% in India and 19.1% in Pakistan. 

It further said tobacco related deaths and diseases works as a major impediment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. 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.

The delegation attending the meeting included Mortuza Haider Liton, ATMA convener; Nadira Kiron, co-convener of ATMA; Md. Shafiqul Islam, Business In-charge, Bangla Tribune; ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA, and Md. Hasan Shahriar, Head of Programs, PROGGA.