Young doctors demand minimum price of Tk9 per cigarette stick

Young doctors today (15 March) demanded that the price of each cigarette stick be set at a minimum of Tk9 to make it unaffordable for children, adolescents, and young people.

Medical students from various colleges across the country stated that if their demand is implemented, it will not only reduce smoking but also generate 43% more revenue compared to the last fiscal year.

The demand was raised at a workshop titled "Young Physicians Leading the Fight Against Tobacco: Safeguarding Public", organised by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, reads a press release.

Representatives from the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh highlighted that tobacco products remain cheap compared to essential commodities in Bangladesh. As a result, children, adolescents, and young people can easily become addicted to this harmful substance. To address this, effective taxation and price hikes on tobacco products are necessary.

The workshop further emphasised that the current four-tier cigarette pricing system (low, medium, high, and premium) is ineffective in implementing tobacco tax and price measures properly. To counter this, young doctors proposed merging the low and medium tiers in the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year budget and setting the retail price of a 10-stick cigarette pack at TK90.

They argued that this measure would discourage young people from smoking. Additionally, they urged that the minimum price of a bidi stick be raised to Tk1. If implemented, this proposal could not only reduce smoking but also generate an additional Tk20,000 crore in revenue and potentially prevent the premature deaths of over 1.7 million people, including approximately 900,000 young individuals in the long run, they said.

At the workshop, Abdul Motalib Shanto, president of Sandhani's Central Committee, said, "As doctors, we must raise awareness about the harms of tobacco among the public using social media platforms to launch strong campaigns against tobacco products. The price of tobacco products must be significantly increased to keep them out of reach of children and young people."

The workshop was attended by medical students from various colleges across the country. They stressed that doctors must take an active role in reducing tobacco consumption in Bangladesh by educating patients about its harmful effects. They also called for amendments to existing tobacco control laws and higher taxes and price increases on tobacco products to curb their use.