UNB, Dhaka :
Anti-tobacco campaigners at a discussion meeting here on Sunday stressed the need for launching a vigorous campaign against tobacco in the country to create awareness among people about its adverse impact on human health.
It is urgent to make people aware of the consequences of tobacco use aiming to protect their health, and both the government and local communities should play a stronger role in this regard, they said. Amra Dhumpan Nibaron Kori (Adhunik, Bengali acronym for ‘We Prevent Smoking), WHO award winning, first national anti-tobacco organisation in Bangladesh, and WHO jointly arranged the discussions at the National Press Club, on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day, 31 May, 2016. Presided over by Adhunik president and UNB chairman Amanullah Khan, the meeting was addressed by president of Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (Duta) Dr Farid Uddin Ahmed as the chief guest and additional secretary of Health Ministry Basudeb Ganguly as special guest. Among others, Prof M Jalal Uddin of LabAid Hospital, joint secretary of the Health Ministry Enamul Haque Eman, Adhunik executive secretary MA Jabbar and social welfare secretary Nina Islam and president of Coalition against Tobacco-Drug and Terrorism Ali Niamat spoke at the discussion.
Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed in his speech said mass awareness on the adverse effects of tobacco use is a pre-condition to help people to keep themselves out of harms way of tobacco. He suggested broadcasting anti-tobacco advertisements in radio and television channels regularly in addition to having a policy in place not to hire smokers for public and private services. Basudeb Ganguly told about one lakh people die due to tobacco-related diseases in the country each year while several lakhs suffer from its deadly consequences.
He said there are about 4.13 crore smokers in the country, and 63 percent of its population gets afflicted with passive smoking. The non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension are on the rise in the country as a result of tobacco inhalation, Basudeb said adding that a massive motivational programme needs to be unveiled to help people quit smoking tobacco.
Anti-tobacco campaigners at a discussion meeting here on Sunday stressed the need for launching a vigorous campaign against tobacco in the country to create awareness among people about its adverse impact on human health.
It is urgent to make people aware of the consequences of tobacco use aiming to protect their health, and both the government and local communities should play a stronger role in this regard, they said. Amra Dhumpan Nibaron Kori (Adhunik, Bengali acronym for ‘We Prevent Smoking), WHO award winning, first national anti-tobacco organisation in Bangladesh, and WHO jointly arranged the discussions at the National Press Club, on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day, 31 May, 2016. Presided over by Adhunik president and UNB chairman Amanullah Khan, the meeting was addressed by president of Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (Duta) Dr Farid Uddin Ahmed as the chief guest and additional secretary of Health Ministry Basudeb Ganguly as special guest. Among others, Prof M Jalal Uddin of LabAid Hospital, joint secretary of the Health Ministry Enamul Haque Eman, Adhunik executive secretary MA Jabbar and social welfare secretary Nina Islam and president of Coalition against Tobacco-Drug and Terrorism Ali Niamat spoke at the discussion.
Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed in his speech said mass awareness on the adverse effects of tobacco use is a pre-condition to help people to keep themselves out of harms way of tobacco. He suggested broadcasting anti-tobacco advertisements in radio and television channels regularly in addition to having a policy in place not to hire smokers for public and private services. Basudeb Ganguly told about one lakh people die due to tobacco-related diseases in the country each year while several lakhs suffer from its deadly consequences.
He said there are about 4.13 crore smokers in the country, and 63 percent of its population gets afflicted with passive smoking. The non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and hypertension are on the rise in the country as a result of tobacco inhalation, Basudeb said adding that a massive motivational programme needs to be unveiled to help people quit smoking tobacco.
