Staff Reporter, Dhaka : Young doctors have demanded an effective increase in tobacco product prices in the upcoming FY2026–27 national budget to discourage tobacco use among young people and protect the country’s large youth population from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The demand was raised during a human chain titled “Effective Tobacco Price Increase in the FY2026–27 Budget to Discourage Youth Tobacco Use,” organized by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday (May 9).

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), around 25–28 percent of the country’s population belongs to the youth demographic. Speakers at the program said protecting this large segment of the population from tobacco addiction is essential for safeguarding the country’s future.

The speakers noted that Bangladesh has the highest tobacco use rate among South Asian countries, with 35.3 percent of adults using tobacco products, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2017. They said tobacco-related diseases cause nearly 200,000 premature deaths in the country every year. They also mentioned that the economic loss from tobacco-related health and environmental damages in 2024 reached nearly BDT 87,000 crore — more than double the revenue earned from the tobacco sector.

The young doctors warned that the easy availability of cheap cigarettes is contributing to rising tobacco use among youths, creating a major public health threat for future generations. They emphasized that increasing tobacco prices through effective taxation is one of the most effective measures to reduce tobacco use. According to their estimates, effective tax and price measures could encourage nearly 500,000 adults to quit smoking and prevent more than 372,000 youths from initiating smoking.

During the program, participants placed several recommendations for tobacco tax reforms in the FY2026–27 budget. They proposed merging the low- and medium-tier cigarette categories and setting the minimum retail price at BDT 100 per 10-stick pack. They also recommended fixing the retail price at BDT 150 for high-tier cigarettes and BDT 200 for premium-tier cigarettes. In addition, they demanded the imposition of a specific supplementary duty of BDT 4 per pack across all cigarette tiers.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Ramisa Fariha, Vice President of Doctors Foundation, said a large portion of Bangladesh’s population consists of young people, and protecting them from the harmful effects of tobacco requires substantial price increases on tobacco products. She added that higher tobacco prices would discourage young people from starting tobacco use.

Dr. Mukarrabin Haque Nibir, Adviser to the Central Committee of Sandhani, said tobacco use among children and adolescents in Bangladesh remains alarming. Referring to the 2023 Tobacco Atlas, he said the smoking prevalence among children aged 10 to 14 stands at 2.48 percent. He stressed that increasing tobacco prices is necessary to protect children and adolescents from tobacco addiction.

Among others, intern doctor Dr. Towhidul Islam of Ibn Sina Medical College, Dr. Mehnaz Tamanna, Dr. Sharif, Dr. Shamim, Dr. Prabhat, Dr. Safin, Dr. Juha, Dr. Munna and Dr. Amrita also spoke at the program.

Young doctors and medical students from different medical colleges across the country participated in the human chain.