Young doctors for strengthening tobacco control act

A group of young doctors on Saturday urged the government to strengthen the Tobacco Control Act to put a stop to the ill techniques of the tobacco companies attracting the youth.

They raised the demand at a workshop on 'The role of young doctors to control tobacco for protecting public health' organized by the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.

Chaired by the President of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh Prof Dr Khandkar Abdul Awal Rizvi, it was addressed, among others by Secretary General Professor Dr Fazilatunnesa Malik.

Head of the Department of Diseases and Research of the National Heart Foundation and Research Institute Prof Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, adviser to the anti-tobacco programme and Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury and coordinator of the programme Dr Aruna Sarkar, were present at the workshop, among others.

The speakers alleged that the tobacco companies are using different sorts of ill techniques to attract the youth community to smoke under the corporate social responsibility programme.

They said the Tobacco Control Act should be strengthened by ratifying it.

"We are taking tobacco despite knowing of its bad effects and consciousness is a must coming out from it," the young doctors said adding that the doctors should take the leading role in this regard.

The patients should be informed about the bad effects of the use of tobacco, they added.

The workshop also suggested the government to increase the price of tobacco products to reduce the use of it.