Dr M Mostafa Zaman speaks at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters' Unity in the city yesterday. On his right is Borhan Ahmed and on his left is Kazi Faruk.Photo: STAR

Speakers at a view exchange meeting yesterday said around 57,000 people die every year in the country due to smoking and use of tobacco products yesterday.
Citing a WHO-2004 report, they called for giving priority to public health, amending the existing Tobacco Act and introducing packets of bidi-cigarette and other tobacco products with warning messages, including pictures, inscribed on them.
Smoking has been reduced in many parts of the world due to display of health messages with pictures, they said while addressing the meeting with journalists at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium in the city.
Bangladesh Consortium on Tobacco Control (BCTC) in collaboration with Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) jointly organised the meeting on 'Necessity of warning messages with pictures on the packets of bidi-cigarette and others tobacco products'.
CAB President Borhan Ahmed was in the chair on the occasion.
WHO National Professional Officer Dr M Mostafa Zaman accused media of playing silent role despite the deaths of huge number of people from smoking and use of tobacco products.
Smoking is a silent killer and it destroys people indirectly, he said expressing hope that BCTC's warning would play a significant role to stop the unwanted deaths.
Borhan Ahmed in his address called on the media to highlight information about the good effects of health warning messages for the interest of public health.