FAIMA urges Health Ministry to form central committee to probe cough syrup deaths in kids

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Expressing ‘deep concern’ over the deaths of children due to cough syrup contamination, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on Wednesday urged the Ministry of Health to form a central committee to probe the cases.

Coldrif, a cough syrup manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram, has been linked to the deaths of more than 20 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“The incident has raised serious questions about the safety, quality assurance, and monitoring mechanisms governing the manufacture and distribution of pharmaceutical products for children,” FAIMA said.

The doctors' body requested the Ministry of Health to “constitute a central investigation committee under the Ministry to conduct a detailed and impartial inquiry into the incident”.

The probe will include “all stages of manufacturing, quality testing, and distribution” and must include qualified medical experts, pharmacologists, and representatives from different states to maintain transparency, neutrality, and multidisciplinary oversight.

FAIMA urged the “committee to conduct nationwide inspections and random testing of paediatric medicines and syrups to verify compliance with established quality standards,” and to submit a comprehensive report with actionable recommendations.

It also called for strengthening coordination between State Drug Control Authorities and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for uniform enforcement and surveillance.

Further, FAIMA called for stricter enforcement and monitoring to regulate quack practices and the sale of non-OTC drugs without prescription by pharmacies.

In the wake of a doctor being arrested for prescribing the faulty cough syrup, FAIMA urged the need to “ensure that registered doctors are not wrongfully blamed or harassed until the investigation is completed”. FAIMA also called for “immediate release from custody” of the doctor arrested.

Earlier, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) also raised strong objections to the arrest of a doctor in Madhya Pradesh.

Calling the arrest “an indiscriminate action against a doctor”, the IMA said this was a clear-cut case of a spurious drug, as defined in Section 17 B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

--IANS

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