Bangladesh Slips in Tobacco-control Rating

Source from:  Bangladesh News 24 hours‎  11/15/2012

A global report on Tuesday lowered Bangladesh's position in tobacco control as it is yet to introduce picture health warnings on tobacco packs even though more countries worldwide adopted the 'highly cost-effective' tool to deter smoking.

The report of the Canadian Cancer Society, which ranks 198 countries and territories on the size of their health warnings on cigarette packages, was released at the ongoing Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Seoul.

It says Bangladesh ranks 97 now, slipping far below 77th the position it had in 2010.

The report came at a time when government says a 'vital' amendment to the 2005 Tobacco Control Act is at the last stages.

The draft amendment, which on Aug 27 got the Cabinet nod and was sent to the law ministry for vetting after nearly three years of 'dilly-dallying', keeps the provision of warning covering 50 percent on both sides of tobacco packs.

Analysts say Bangladesh's global position will leap if it enforces new law.

"The report means that Bangladesh is taking time in improving the tobacco pack warnings by introducing pictorial health warnings and other countries have done much better during this time, which improved their rankings over Bangladesh," Taifur Rahman, Bangladesh coordinator of US-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids told bdnews24.com by an email.

He was present at the launch of the report in Seoul.

"The ranking will improve significantly, if the new requirement of pictorial warnings label as proposed in the current amendment of the tobacco control law is approved," Rahman said.

The report disappointed Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, Organising Secretary of anti-tobacco doctors' forum, UFAT. He said Bangladesh has been at the forefront when the FCTC was ratified in 2005.

WHO says countries that ratify the FCTC agree to put in place controls to reduce tobacco use.

"But due to delay in making a vital amendment, we lost position globally," he told bdnews24.com.

Dr Chowdhury said they had recently met with the Minister for Law and he assured them of placing the amendment in Parliament's winter session that kicked off Wednesday.

Media reports suggest tobacco companies' interference and bureaucratic tangles repeatedly frustrated the move to pass the law.

Globally, package warnings are recognised as a highly cost-effective means to increase awareness of the health effects of tobacco, and to reduce its use.

Dr Chowdhury said picture speaks 'louder than words' and can convey a message to the people who cannot read.

International guidelines under the FCTC recommend that "warnings should be as large as is achievable, should include a rotating series of graphic pictures and should be on both the front and back of packages".

Examples of pictures that appear on packages include a diseased lung or mouth, a patient in a hospital bed and a child exposed to secondhand smoke.

The report says Australia, ranked first, now has the largest warnings in the world at 82.5 percent of the package front and back (75 percent front, 90 percent back) surpassing Uruguay, the previous topper.

It says at least 47 countries and territories have warnings covering at least 50 percent of the package front and back, up from 32 in 2010 and 24 in 2008.

Some 18 countries have warnings covering more than 50 percent of the package front and back.

"The progress internationally has been outstanding," says Rob Cunningham, Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Cancer Society, in a media release.

"There is a huge trend worldwide of countries adopting graphic pictures of the health effects of smoking as part of warnings on cigarette packages, with 63 countries requiring picture warnings – up from 34 in 2010," he said.

Estimates suggest 57,000 people die of tobacco-related illness a year while nearly 300,000 suffer disabilities in Bangladesh where more than 43 percent people aged 15 and above consume tobacco in some form. Enditem