Reporters Orientation Program’2022
An orientation program for media workers on Various aspects of tobacco control was held today (23 July 2022, Saturday) at the BMA Bhawan (Shaheed Dr. Milan Meeting Room) topkhana road in the capital. MANAS (Association for the Prevention of Drug Abuse) organizes the program.
The purpose of the seminar was to bring together all media workers from a variety of departments across the news sector of Bangladesh to share the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act (Amendment 2013) and Rules 2015 to make Bangladesh a tobacco-free, Multidimensional harms of tobacco and tobacco products, Government and private sectors initiatives to control tobacco and tobacco products use, Intervention by tobacco companies, and the need for Government to withdraw Share from BAT’B in Controlling Tobacco Control of Bangladesh. Approaches to key problems, disseminate and encourage the use of existing data and foster the development of a new idea to sensitize and motivate to fulfill the Prime Minister’s vision of Bangladesh. Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her urge to the speakers and parliamentarians of the South Asia Summit’ 2016 to make Bangladesh tobacco-free within 2040. She said that her government will take all initiatives to achieve the goal of the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Kazi Zebunnesa Begum was the chief guest in the opening phase of the program presided over by MANAS founding President Heroic freedom fighter Professor Dr. ArupRatan Choudhury Aruparatan Chowdhury. Former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University and Bangladesh News Agency (BASS) were the chief guests at the concluding part of the program.
Kazi Zebunnesa Begum said that it is not possible for the Ministry of Health alone to control harmful drugs like tobacco. There are different stakeholders involved. So, everyone needs to work together against tobacco. The role of the media in this regard is undeniable. The media should be more active in the anti-tobacco campaign out of moral responsibility.
Heroic freedom fighter Professor Dr. Aruparatan Chowdhury said that the media has been very active since the beginning of the anti-smoking movement. The anti-tobacco movement is promising with the help of the media.
Professor AMS Arefin Siddique said that honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced to build a ‘tobacco-free Bangladesh’ by 2040 as tobacco is harming us as a whole, including the health sector. He was determined to build the Padma Bridge, that’s why we were able to turn the dream into reality. So, we are hopeful that we can eradicate tobacco from the country by taking the media under his leadership.
Aminul Islam, Program Officer of the National Tobacco Control Cell, presented an article on the Smoking and Use of Tobacco Products (Control) Act and related rules at the event. Special Correspondent Sushant Sinha of Ekatar Television presented an article on tobacco company tactics and obstacles in tobacco control.
MANAS project officer Abu Rayhan moderated the program and journalists from various media (print-12, electronic-3, online-4, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), and United News of Bangladesh (UNB) a Bangladesh private sector news agency) also participated in the program. A regulation book distributed among reporters named ’Tobacco Control Regulations in Bangladesh’ published by National Tobacco Control cell, Health Services Division, Ministry Health, and Family Welfare.
