Policies on cards to execute tobacco control law:?Nasim
BSS
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday said the government is taking initiatives in formulating policies for execution of the existing law for tobacco control. The government intends to build a tobacco-free Bangladesh. The concept for a tobacco-free environment is also present in the worldwide appreciation to Prime Minister for her movement for development of the environment. Its an urgency to formulate policies for implementation of the governments desire in his regard, he said, reports BSS. Nasim said this while presiding over a view-exchange meeting on tobacco control programme at his office in the secretariat yesterday. Instructing the personnel concerned to formulate draft policies for tobacco control expeditiously, the Health Minister said, The draft policies (in this regard) will be finalised in consultation with different ministries, stakeholders concerned and representatives of the civil society. He said, The peoples health will be protected to a great extent if more restrictions could be put on tobacco use. The society should be freed from tobacco to make the governments initiatives a success for improving the standard of public health in the country. Reiterating his announcement not to consider any smoker-student to sit for admission test for MBBS course in the next academic year, Nasim said every student, who will qualify for admission into any medical college in the 2016-2017 academic year, has to provide attested copies of certificates that he or she is a non-smoker and not a drug abuser.
