BNP urges citizens to avoid imported goods lacking proper test

BNP urges citizens to avoid imported goods lacking proper test

Dhaka, May 12 - BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday emphasised the government's responsibility to ensure the food safety of people and called for rigorous testing  of imported products before they reach consumers.

Speaking at a press conference, he also cited media reports exposing cancer-causing chemicals in various Indian food items and urged the country’s citizens to be cautious and avoid imported goods lacking proper inspection protocols.

“It is essential to conduct inspections and tests of products from abroad by relevant authorities such as the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) or other responsible institutions. But people are quite skeptical about whether the current subservient regime will properly test the imported food products by prioritising the health protection of the citizens of the country,” Fakhrul said.

He also said all citizens of the country must take precautions on their own initiative to protect their health and that of their family members.

“Unless the imported products are properly inspected, we need to avoid all available products containing cancer-causing substances.”

The press conference was held at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office to inform journalists about the decisions made during a virtual meeting of the party's Standing Committee on May 8.

Fakhrul said their standing committee meeting highlighted the issue of health safety following  media reports on the prevalence of cancer-causing substances in various Indian food items.

He said the meeting mentioned a study conducted on Indian food products in Europe, revealing that 527 products contained cancer-causing chemicals.

Citing a report by Reuters released on April 23, he said India's spice exports regulator asked MDH and Everest to provide details of quality checks after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.

In such circumstances, the BNP leader said, the government must ensure the health security of its citizens by thoroughly examining the quality of every imported product before it enters the market.

The BNP leader expressed serious concerns over the untidy conditions of government hospitals, particularly those outside Dhaka, highlighting the alarming lack of cleanliness and the presence of middlemen, which, he said, hinder access to proper healthcare.

Besides, he said numerous substandard clinics and private diagnostic centres have cropped up around public hospitals, primarily driven by profit motives.

Pointing out that the process of appointing vice-chancellors and teachers to universities has collapsed due to politicisation, Fakhrul said many meritorious individuals are leaving the country due to a lack of proper job opportunities or recognition of their skills.

He said nearly 70% of deaths occur in Bangladesh due to non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and other diseases. “But the government allocates a mere 4.2% of the total health budget to combat these diseases.”

Referring to a recent report by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), he added, it revealed a grim picture of public health that approximately 13 crore people in the country are unable to afford necessary nutritious food. “Around 114,000 people in the country die from cancer annually. The root cause of this prevalent cancer is unsafe food."

Responding to a query about the upcoming visit of US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu to Bangladesh, Fakhrul said BNP is not interested in who is coming when or not.

He reaffirmed their party's trust in the people of Bangladesh. “We have complete confidence in the people, and we stand on that faith. Our politics is also for people.”-UNB