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Published : 15 Jun 2026, 01:27 PM
Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain says that although Ad-din Hospital has been closed, the medical college has not and students at the institution will be able to practise in other hospitals.
Other hospitals can take them, he said in response to questions from the media at the International Mother Language Institute during a discussion for World No Tobacco Day-2026 at 11am on Monday.
The difficult decision was taken due to the inhumane way the hospital was providing service, he said.
Sakhawat said the measles vaccine is 100 percent beneficial and that the government has achieved vaccination above and beyond the target level nationwide in its latest campaign.
The drive has not stopped and the government has been urging people to come and get vaccinated before Eid, even making public service announcements over megaphones.
The Essential Programme on Immunization is also ongoing, he said.
Measles cases are still cropping up, the health minister said, adding that it will not go away completely.
The day before yesterday saw 700 new cases, while there were 1,000 yesterday, Sakhawat said.
In many cases, people contract measles after they get a fever, he said.
The health minister added that over the past few days have seen three to five deaths from suspected measles cases, but few deaths from confirmed cases in the past week.
In response to a question, Sakhawat said discussions of a ban on e-cigarettes is under way, but no decision has been made yet.
During the discussion, the health minister says that everyone knows that tobacco is an addiction and those who smoke can testify to its negative impact.
Tobacco disrupts people's sleep, reduces appetite, and reduces weight, and no organ in the body remains unaffected, he said.
He mentioned that the BNP government had enacted the first Tobacco Control Act in 2005 and the current government has enacted the “Smoking and Tobacco Use (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2026” in light of its election manifesto.
The new act completely bans the advertisement and promotion of tobacco products on all types of media, internet, social media, dramas, films and OTT platforms.
He expressed his determination to build a “tobacco-free Bangladesh” with the combined efforts of all.
Speaking as the chair of the discussion, Health Services Division Secretary Quamruzzaman Chowdhury said that according to the World Health Organization's “Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2025”, more than 7 million people die from tobacco-related diseases every year worldwide and about 1.6 million non-smokers lose their lives due to second-hand smoke, most of whom are women and children.
Tobacco control is not only important for health but also for the environment and economy, Quamruzzaman said, adding that the proper implementation of the new law requires the participation of all levels of society, as well as the government.
