Around 57,000 people die every year due to tobacco-related diseases in Bangladesh, the country's Health and Family Welfare Minister AFM Ruhul Haque said.

The minister disclosed this while inaugurating a four-day regional workshop on strengthening tobacco control organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) here on Monday, leading English-language newspaper The Daily Star reported on Tuesday.

Haque at the occasion also said around 382,000 people in Bangladesh are becoming physically or mentally disabled as a result of tobacco use.

He said the net economic loss for the country due to tobacco usage is around US$442 million per year.

"Bangladesh showed its strong commitment to tobacco control by becoming the first country to sign the "WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)" and in line with the treaty, the country has enacted a tobacco control law in 2005," the health minister said.

Haque said the provisions of the law have been reflected in the national plan of actions for tobacco control in order to reduce tobacco consumption.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2009)