Research and advocacy organization Progga (Knowledge for Progress) has urged the incoming parliament to pass the recently amended Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 in its first session to tackle Bangladesh’s growing cancer burden. Wednesday will mark World Cancer Day. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, an estimated 116,598 people died of cancer in Bangladesh in 2022, while 167,256 new cases were diagnosed the same year. The World Health Organization notes that 30 to 50% of cancer deaths can be prevented by avoiding tobacco use. On World Cancer Day 2026, ABM Zubair, executive director of Progga, said: “There is no alternative to passing the Tobacco Control Ordinance in the first session of the upcoming parliament to combat tobacco-related cancers.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 03, 2026 14:08 UTC