After overcoming many obstacles, Bangladesh has passed the Tobacco Control Ordinance. To ensure its effective implementation, the Health Adviser has directed that a committee be formed by the next day to draft the necessary implementation rules. At the same time, the Fisheries and Livestock Adviser stated that government secretaries have been strategically placed on the boards of cigarette companies to interfere with policymaking, a practice both advisers consider unacceptable.
These remarks were made at a national seminar organized by the National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC) on 28 January 2026 in Dhaka, focusing on the challenges of implementing tobacco control. The details were reported by Sushanta Sinha.
Speakers at the seminar described tobacco as a “green poison” recognized worldwide. Tobacco cultivation is rapidly increasing in Bangladesh. Cigarettes and other tobacco products contain nearly 7,000 harmful chemical substances, including tar used in roofing materials, formaldehyde used for preserving dead bodies, methanol, methane gas, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide, and carbon monoxide. At least seven of these substances are directly responsible for causing all types of cancer.
The discussants revealed alarming statistics, noting that tobacco-related diseases cause the premature death of an average of 19 people every hour in Bangladesh.
Addressing the seminar, Primary Education Adviser Dr. Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar said that there should be no designated smoking areas in any health facility. He emphasized the need to ensure that smoking is completely prohibited inside hospitals and across hospital campuses.
The Fisheries and Livestock Adviser strongly criticized the involvement of senior government officials on the boards of tobacco companies, particularly British American Tobacco (BAT). He stated that key administrative officials should not be part of BAT’s board and demanded the withdrawal of the government’s 0.64 percent shareholding in the company. He questioned the rationale of maintaining government shares in a company that profits from products causing widespread loss of life.
He further stated that as long as secretaries remain on such boards, tobacco companies will continue to exert undue influence. He, along with Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, pledged to raise the issue further and take possible actions during their tenure.
It is worth noting that the interim government approved amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control Ordinance on 30 December. To implement the ordinance effectively, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum instructed the immediate formation of a rule-drafting committee, urging representatives from relevant ministries to form the committee without delay and begin work promptly.
Speakers at the seminar also stressed the need for continued government and non-government initiatives to swiftly transform the Tobacco Control Ordinance into a fully enforceable law in order to protect public health.
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