Of all the deaths in Bangladesh, 25.54 percent of adult men and 9.68 percent women die from the adverse impact of tobacco consumption each year. State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Malek made the remarks quoting the statistics of The Tobacco Atlas while speaking to journalists at the Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.
Zahid Malek added: "Each year at least 1,61,200 people dies of various tobacco related diseases including cancer, stroke, heart attacks."
The number of deaths will continue to rise if an integrated tobacco control policy was not implemented in this condition, he said. The government has taken different measures to control the consumption of tobacco including imposing tax and formation of management policy for tobacco control.
He also inaugurated a Television spot 'Bishdhoa' on adverse impact of tobacco on human body which will be put on air by television channels for six weeks.Health Secretary (service) Sirajul Haque Khan also spoke at the program.