Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain spoke as the chief guest at a seminar held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 31, 2026 (BSS) - Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain has stressed the need to raise awareness in every household about the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine to protect future generations.

“The prevalence of non-communicable diseases is increasing in Bangladesh due to a lack of awareness. Among these, tobacco is one of the major causes of deadly diseases such as cancer, leading to premature deaths. Awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine must be increased in every household to protect the new generation,” he said.

The health minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “What Needs to be Done to Control Non-Communicable Diseases and Protect Future Generations from the Harmful Effects of Tobacco and Nicotine,” organized by Dhaka Ahsania Mission at CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital today.

Sakhawat said awareness-raising images and messages highlighting the harmful effects of tobacco need to be disseminated more widely among the common people. It is particularly important to create awareness among adolescents about the harmful effects of tobacco from an early age, he said.

He said if adolescents are made aware of the dangers of tobacco from their teenage years, they will understand its harmful effects and be able to keep themselves away from tobacco use in the future.

The health minister also stressed the need for more effective, coordinated and timely measures to control tobacco in line with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The seminar was chaired by Dhaka Ahsania Mission Vice-President Dr Khalilur Rahman. 
Bangladesh Medical University Department of Clinical Oncology Chairman Professor Dr. Syed Md. Akram Hossain, Health Services Division Additional Secretary Sheikh Momena Moni, former BCIC Chairman Mostafizur Rahman, among others, spoke at the event.

Dhaka Ahsania Mission Health and Nutrition Sector Director Iqbal Masud delivered the welcome address, while Project Coordinator Shariful Islam presented the keynote paper.