Doctors have urged the government to expedite the passage of proposed amendments to the Tobacco Control Act and to cancel meetings with tobacco companies, terming such engagement a violation of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

The call came on Tuesday at a seminar organised by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, titled “The Importance of Amending Tobacco Control Law to Protect Non-Smokers: The Role of Physicians.”

Speakers said seeking tobacco companies’ opinions in the amendment process is “unacceptable” as it directly violates WHO FCTC Article 5.3 and endangers public health. They urged the government to withdraw the decision and approve the amendments without delay in the Health Ministry’s advisory council meeting.

Presenting the keynote, Prof Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital & Research Institute, said over 161,000 people die annually in Bangladesh from tobacco-related diseases, while more than 400,000 suffer disabilities. Around 38.4 million adults are exposed to secondhand smoke daily, he noted. “Delaying the amendment of the existing law amounts to negligence toward public health,” he said.

He criticised the government’s move to seek tobacco companies’ views “under the guise of stakeholder meetings,” calling it a “clear violation of Article 5.3 and a grave threat to health.”

In his presidential address, Prof Habibullah Talukder Raskin, project coordinator and head of the Cancer Prevention Department at Gonoshasthaya Community-Based Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, said an average of 442 people die prematurely every day from tobacco use. “Delays in amending the law are unacceptable, and the government must bear responsibility for these preventable deaths,” he said.

Although Bangladesh was an early signatory to the WHO FCTC, seeking tobacco industry input now runs counter to public interest, he added. “Tobacco companies aim for profit, not public health. Accepting their opinions disregards the welfare of the people.”

Speakers highlighted six key proposals in the Health Ministry’s draft amendments: elimination of designated smoking areas to make all public spaces and transport smoke-free; a ban on tobacco product displays at points of sale; prohibition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by tobacco companies; restrictions to protect youth from emerging products such as e-cigarettes; an increase in pictorial health warnings on packaging from 50% to 90%; a ban on sales of loose sticks, unpackaged, and smokeless tobacco products.

The seminar was attended by leading medical professionals including Prof Mujibul Haque, Prof Akram Hossain, Prof Khorshed Alam, Dr Mohammed Saeed-uz-Zaman of Gonoshasthya Nagar Hospital, Dr Aruna Sarkar, project coordinator, and Abu Jafor, senior communications officer at the National Heart Foundation, among others.