Public Health on Top

The Advisory Committee formed to revise the draft of the tobacco control law, namely Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024 has decided to take the opinions of the tobacco companies into account while proceeding with the amendment process. Such a decision is in direct conflict with Article 5.3 of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization (WHO). As per FCTC Article 5.3, any sort of involvement of the tobacco industry or its affiliates in the formulation of tobacco control-related laws, rules or policies, i.e., providing proposals, opinions or even participating in the process, is completely unacceptable. Bangladesh is one of the first countries to sign the international treaty in 2003 and to subsequently ratify the FCTC Article 5.3 in 2008. It should be noted that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already formulated and implemented its own guidelines as per FCTC Article 5.3.

With a view to strengthening the tobacco control law, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare took the initiative to amend the Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013 in 2021. Following the formulation of draft amendment proposal, subsequent release of the draft on website, gathering opinions from stakeholders, holding inter-ministerial meeting, on 7 November 2024, the draft was placed before the Advisory Council for approval. Later, through a notification published on 9 December 2024, a high-powered Advisory Committee was formed to further revise the draft.

To keep the law amendment process free from the vested interest and interference of tobacco companies, there is no alternative to strictly following Article 5.3 of FCTC. Speedy finalization and implementation of the draft amendment is the only welcome move now when it comes to safeguarding public health.