Doctors held responsible for children’s deaths in Chhindwara:Syrup not meant for under-4s, five victims were 4, two younger; CM Yadav announces ₹4 lakh aid

In Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, 11 children aged one to five died of kidney failure within 32 days. All had cold, cough and fever and were treated by the same doctor, who prescribed medicines dispensed by his wife’s medical store. The children’s fever eased but two days later they stopped urinating. Despite treatment in Chhindwara and Nagpur, none survived. It is alleged that a cough syrup, unsafe for children under four, triggered the condition. CM Mohan Yadav called the deaths tragic and announced ₹4 lakh aid for each family. Dainik Bhaskar team directly interacted with the treating doctor… why did he give that cough syrup to children under 4 years, read this report First, complete sequence of events… Bhaskar’s questions and Dr Soni’s answers Reporter: You are a paediatrician. Almost all children from Parasia come to you. How many years have you been practising? Dr Praveen Soni: I have been practising for 38 years. Reporter: How long have you been prescribing the cough syrup that made the children sick? Dr Soni: I have been prescribing this medicine for 15 years. Reporter: Were there any such complaints earlier? Dr Soni: No such incident has happened before. Reporter: Has the administration sought an explanation about the syrup? Dr Soni: No explanation has been sought so far. Reporter: Despite being a government doctor, you run a private clinic? Dr Soni: I run the clinic after completing duty at the government hospital. Reporter: Is Apna Pharma, now in the spotlight, your firm? Dr Soni: It is in my wife Preeti Soni’s name. Earlier a boy managed the store but made mistakes, so my wife took over. Reporter: Is all the work done under Apna Pharma connected to you? Dr Soni: No, that would be wrong to say. The name is not patented. Reporter: Did the medicine come to you directly from Jabalpur or through a middleman? Dr Soni: There is a system; the medicine comes through that. Reporter: Did you know the contents of the syrup you were prescribing? Dr Soni: The ingredients are written on the label, but what remains hidden nobody tells. Reporter: So are you saying the problem was due to hidden content? Dr Soni: Maybe… the listed contents were correct. There are at least 50 similar syrups in the market. Reporter: Which are the 12 cough syrups the administration has seized for testing? Dr Soni: I don’t know. I was informed only about two medicines from Nagpur Child Hospital. Family said- No one spoke to us about post-mortem When contacted about Sandhya Bhosam’s death on October 1, her family said no administrative officer had approached them during her treatment. They questioned why no post-mortem was conducted. According to them, officials now claim the family refused, but Sandhya’s father insisted no one from the administration ever contacted them or sought their consent for a post-mortem. SDM said- Family refused post-mortem Responding to the allegation, Parasia SDM Shubham Yadav said the family had been informed about the procedure but did not agree to it. He further added that all the deaths occurred in Nagpur hospital, and though the administration had carried out the required correspondence, the post-mortem could not be conducted due to the family’s refusal. Administration conducting door-to-door survey
SDM Shubham Yadav said that the population of Parasia region is 2.84 lakh. Of these, approximately 25 thousand are children under 5 years of age. Ground staff of the Health Department is continuously conducting door-to-door surveys. 4658 children suffering from fever, cold and cough have been examined. Reports of 411 children have come, which are normal. Considering the medical emergency, a separate ICU ward has been created for children. Chhindwara collector banned syrup, transferred after two days
In the case of children’s deaths, then Chhindwara Collector Shailendra Singh had banned both syrups based on the investigation report. Parents were advised not to use it. During the medical emergency, medicines were banned, but just two days after the order, the Chhindwara Collector was transferred to Bhopal. Team reaches medical store for second inspection The drug inspection team once again visited Dr Praveen Soni’s private clinic and medical store on Station Road, Parasia, on Friday. Five days earlier, a joint team from Bhopal and the district drug department had also inspected the premises and collected medicine samples. Meanwhile, epidemic control teams from Delhi and Bhopal are continuously visiting areas reporting children’s deaths. ₹4 lakh assistance announced by CM, Kamal Nath demands ₹50 lakh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav has called the deaths of children due to Coldriff cough syrup in Chhindwara “extremely tragic”. He said that following the test report on the syrup, its sale has been completely banned across Madhya Pradesh, and statewide raids are being carried out to seize the product. According to the Public Relations Department, the Chief Minister announced ₹4 lakh compensation for each of the 11 bereaved families and assured that the state government will bear all treatment costs of the affected children. Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, however, has demanded that the compensation be increased to ₹50 lakh per family. Test samples found invalid
Chief Minister Dr. Yadav said that after the Chhindwara incident came to light, samples of cold relief syrup were sent for testing. On Saturday morning, the samples were found invalid in test report. Therefore, the sale of cold relief syrup has been banned across the entire state. A joint investigation team has also been formed at the state level in this matter. The culprits will not be spared at any cost. 48.6% Diethylene Glycol found in Coldriff syrup Notably, Tamil Nadu Drug Controller has declared Coldriff syrup as “Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)” after testing by the Government Drug Analyst Laboratory, Chennai found it contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol, a toxic substance harmful to health. Dr Dinesh Kumar Maurya, Controller of the Food and Drug Administration, has ordered senior and field drug inspectors to immediately stop the sale and distribution of the syrup. Any stock must be sealed, not destroyed, as required under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and related samples must be sent to government labs for testing. Other batches of Coldriff syrup are also to be sealed and tested. In public interest, the sale and use of all medicines produced by M/s Sresan Pharmaceuticals has been suspended, and their samples are being collected for legal testing. Authorities have also ordered strict monitoring of the movement of this medicine across the state. ​