2024-05-04 17:21:37
A joint statement by 150 doctors, including oncologists, has been issued by Prathitasha for strengthening tobacco control laws and increasing prices and taxes on tobacco products.
In the statement, 150 doctors of Ahsaniya Mission Cancer and General Hospital, including renowned oncologists of the country, requested the government to strengthen the tobacco control law and increase the price and tax on tobacco products to protect public health.
The prominent oncologists who gave the statement are Professor Dr. MA High, Director, Bangladesh Cancer Society Hospital and Welfare Home, Professor Dr. Golam Mohiuddin Farooq, President, Bangladesh Cancer Society, Professor Dr. Syed Akram Hossain, Senior Consultant, Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy, Square Hospital, Professor Dr. AMM Shariful Alam, Senior Consultant and Head of Clinical Oncology, Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital etc.
In a joint statement initiated by the Dhaka Ahsaniya Mission, cancer experts said that tobacco is linked to six of the eight leading causes of preventable death worldwide. No one is aware of the health risks of tobacco use such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, respiratory problems and various physical complications including foot rot and esophageal cancer.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) report, 35.3 percent of adults (3.78 million) in Bangladesh still use tobacco products, and about 3.84 million adults who do not smoke are exposed to it indirectly in various public places, workplaces and public transport. Be a victim of smoking. Tobacco use increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, COPD or lung cancer by 57 percent and other cancers by 109 percent. Because of this, more than 1 lakh 61 thousand people die prematurely in Bangladesh every year.
In this situation, efforts should be made to reduce the consumption of tobacco by increasing the price of tobacco products, along with strengthening the tobacco control law to reduce the consumption of tobacco. This will protect public health. On the other hand, it will also play a helpful role in creating a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 as announced by the Prime Minister.
According to the latest data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, in the last five years (2019-2023), the per capita income of Bangladesh increased by 643 dollars to 2 thousand 765 dollars. However, most of the cigarette prices have either remained almost unchanged or increased slightly. As a result, the real price of cigarettes has decreased. This makes cigarettes more accessible. On the other hand, the retail sale of bidi-cigarettes is also making tobacco products more accessible. As a result, the tendency of smoking among teenagers and young people is gradually increasing but not decreasing.
On the other hand, low-income people are also being encouraged rather than discouraged from smoking. Thus they are exposed to both financial and physical risks. If it is not brought under control now, it will be impossible to reduce tobacco use to zero by 2040.
In such a situation, retail sales of bidi-cigarettes should be banned by law. Retail sales are banned in many countries around the world. This can also be done by amending existing tobacco control laws. It should be implemented now. It is also important to effectively increase the price of cigarettes through taxation.
In order to protect public health from the negative effects of tobacco, the following specific proposals for tobacco tax and price hike in the upcoming budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 are to increase the low-end price from Rs.45 to Rs.60 per 10 cigarettes, the middle-end price from Rs.67 to Rs.80, and the high-end price from Rs.113. 130 and increase the price of premium level cigarettes from 150 to 170. Imposing a supplementary duty of 65 percent on other tiers and at least 63 percent on lower tier cigarettes; Fixing the retail price of unfiltered 25 Shalaka bidis at Tk 25 and imposing a supplementary duty of 45 per cent; Imposing 60 per cent supplementary duty by fixing the retail price of jorda at Tk 55 per 10 gm and Gul at Tk 30 per 10 gm.
75 percent of the current users are consumers of low-grade cigarettes. While the supplementary duty rate at this level is only 58 percent, increasing it to at least 63 percent will reduce cigarette consumption, especially among young and low-income consumers, and increase revenue. This increased revenue will contribute significantly to tackling the ongoing financial crisis.
They opined that there is an urgent need to increase the price of tobacco products by enacting stronger tobacco control laws and increasing taxes effectively to discourage smokers from using tobacco products. They also said in the statement that there is no alternative to making the tobacco control laws more stringent and reforming the existing tax structure of tobacco products to make the Prime Minister’s promise of a ‘tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040’ a reality.