Dhaka: State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. M.A. Muhit announced that steps will be taken to present the Tobacco Control Ordinance in the first session of Parliament with the aim of enacting it into law. He made this announcement while delivering the keynote speech as the chief guest at a discussion meeting held at the CIRDAP International Conference Centre in the capital, marking International Women’s Day.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the meeting was attended by notable figures including Tahsina Rushdir, Member of Parliament from Sylhet-2, Sheikh Momina Moni, Additional Secretary of the World Health Wing, and Professor Dr. Shah Ali Akbar Ashrafi, former Director of the Directorate General of Health Services, as special guests. Dr. M. A. Muhith emphasized the significance of the approved Tobacco Control Ordinance as a crucial step towards safeguarding public health, expressing optimism for its passage in the upcoming parliamentary session.
The meeting shed light on alarming statistics from the Tobacco Atlas 2025 of the World Health Organization, revealing that around 21.3 million people aged 15 years and above in Bangladesh use tobacco. Tobacco-related diseases claim nearly 200,000 lives annually, translating to an average of around 546 deaths daily. The economic toll of tobacco is significant, with losses amounting to nearly BDT 87,000 crore each year.
In response, the ‘Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025,’ proposed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, received approval in the Advisory Council meeting held on December 24, 2025. This ordinance aims to ban the use of all tobacco products in public spaces and transport, prohibit advertisements and promotions, restrict sales near educational institutions, and increase the size of health warnings on packaging, among other measures.
MP Tahsina Rushdir highlighted the broader impact of tobacco, noting its negative effects on families, society, and the national economy. Citing Tobacco Atlas 2025 data, she pointed out that over 11 percent of women’s deaths in Bangladesh are tobacco-related. She stressed that enacting the ordinance into law would safeguard future generations.
Professor Dr. Shah Ali Akbar Ashrafi remarked that the previous interim government’s approval of the ordinance was a positive development. He called on the newly elected government to fulfill its election promise by converting the ordinance into law.
The meeting was chaired by Shaheen Akhter Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree, and attended by Masuma Alam, President of Nari Maitree, along with representatives from the Anti-Tobacco Mothers’ Forum, Teachers’ Forum, Journalists’ Forum, Youth Forum, and various civil society organizations. All participants strongly urged the conversion of the approved Tobacco Control Ordinance into law during the first session of Parliament.