The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Lung Foundation, and Bangladesh Cancer Society urged the government to strengthen the Tobacco Control Act to cut tobacco use and related deaths. In a joint statement, the three health groups said tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in Bangladesh, killing more than 130,000 people each year. They noted that non-communicable diseases account for about 71% of all deaths nationally, with tobacco a major driver of heart disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses.
