‘Steps to be taken to ban e-cigarettes’
PBC News: Health services division senior secretary Lokman Hossain Mia has said the health ministry has already taken some steps, such as a draft roadmap to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh. Hopefully, further initiatives will be taken to finalize it soon, he added.
He made the comment at a programme at conference room ofMinistry of Health and Family Welfare to publish the results of the study on e-cigarette use conducted on university students of Dhaka city.
The meeting was jointly organized by National Tobacco Control Cell, Health services divisio, MoHFW and Dhaka Ahsania Mission in collaboration with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).
Kazi Jebunnesa Begum, additional secretary (World Health), chaired the programme while Lokman Hossain Mia spoke as the chief guest.
Lokman Hossain in his speech said, “The use of e-cigarette is increasing day by day which is alarming. E-cigarettes are just as harmful to health as conventional cigarettes. The law does not say anything directly about controlling this harmful product. So there is room to work on it.”
“We will take into account the recommendations in the law to ban e-cigarettes.”
Kazi Jebunnesa said steps have been taken to update the existing Tobacco Control Act to make the country tobacco-free by 2040 as announced by the Prime Minister.
“The law is currently being amended. This will take into account the issue of banning e-cigarettes.”
Hossain Ali Khandaker, coordinator (additional secretary) of the National Tobacco Control Cell, Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Iqbal Masud, director of the health and wash sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and Md. Mukhlesur Rahman, Assistant Director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, spoke, among others, at the event.
