Speakers at a study unveiling programme urged the government to stop tobacco industries interference on policy making about tobacco control law amendment process.
They said that on the name of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), the tobacco industries are hazardously interfering on the process.
Tobacco companies also have managed to exploit the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic to the fullest for their benefit.
The study report suggested that World Health Organisation states that under no circumstance shall the tobacco industry be involved in the formulation of tobacco control policies.
Bangladesh has scored 68 in the Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2020 meaning that the country is still highly vulnerable to the interference of tobacco industry. Such findings have been presented in a study report titled ‘Tobacco Industry Interference Index: FCTC Article 5.3 Implementation Report, Bangladesh’, unveiled on Saturday in Dhaka.
The study report released to the public through an online zoom webinar, jointly organized by PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA).
In his speech as the Chief Guest, Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, said, Tobacco is an essential product but only for causing death, not for life. It cannot be on the list of essential commodities in any way.
“I have already submitted a Private Member’s Bill to exclude tobacco from the list of Essential Commodities. To provide tobacco companies incentives from Covid 19 stimulus fund is totally unacceptable,” he said.
The Special Guest, Muhammad Ruhul Quddus, former Additional Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and former Coordinator of National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) said, the government has recently taken steps to amend the Tobacco Control Act.
The MoHFW, besides its own, should undertake awareness raising of non-health sectors so that ministries become aware of recurring and multi-faceted interferences of tobacco industry especially during the ongoing amendment process of tobacco control law.
Professor Dr. AAMS Arefin Siddique, Chairman, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and President of the event said that Covid-19 has pointed it to us how detrimental tobacco use can be. Tobacco use prevalence is such a problem which cannot be tackled only by the sole effort of MoHFW. All ministries should make a concerted effort to curb this havoc.
The study shows that on 25 September 2019, British American Tobacco Bangladesh donated a hefty sum of money to Bangladesh Labor Welfare Foundation.
The news and pictures of the event were later publicized on the Ministry’s official Facebook page. Liaison with the National Board of Revenues (NBR) has been utilized by the tobacco industry as its instrument to interfere in the formulation of National Tobacco Control Policy. Following the request from Bangladesh Cigarette Manufacturers’ Association (BCMA), NBR requested the MoHFW to consider the industry’s opinion before finalizing the National Tobacco Control Policy although WHO FCTC states that under no circumstance shall the tobacco industry be involved in the formulation of tobacco control policies.
The discussants’ panel included Md. Shafiqul Islam, Bangladesh Country Advisor, Vital Strategies; Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Huq, National Professional Officer, WHO; Syed Mahbubul Alam, Technical Advisor, the Union; M A Salam, Grants Manager, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK); and ABM Zubair, Executive Director, PROGGA. Mortuza Haider Liton, Convener of Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), Nadira Kiron, and Md. Hasan Shahriar, Head of Tobacco Control Program, PROGGA, among others were present.
