Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 1 : Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla has sparked controversy by denying any link between contaminated cough syrup and the deaths of six children in Chhindwara district.
Despite ongoing investigations, Shukla stated that preliminary findings show no contamination in the syrup, claiming, "These deaths did not occur due to the cough syrup for sure," ahead of the examination report, with samples sent to laboratories in Nagpur and Pune for analysis.
Reacting to the issue, Health Minister Shukla told reporters, "The Health Department team has kept an eye on the matter and the situation is under control. The report of those children who died have been sent to ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and Nagpur and its report is yet to arrive. As soon as reports arrive, the health commissioner will update the reason for the death of the children. The entire department is now fully operational and will ensure that such incidents do not occur again. It is not right to make any comment about the reason as the report is yet to arrive."
When asked about banning the cough syrup, the minister added, "The matter of the cough syrup is baseless, and these deaths did not occur due to the cough syrup for sure."
Six children died in Chhindwara district due to kidney-related complications within a month, though it is being investigated to ascertain what affected the kidneys of the children. According to the families of the affected children, initially, the children suffer from colds, coughs, and fevers. After that, their kidneys become affected, and their condition worsens.
A two-member team from the Health Department has been deployed to Chhindwara to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter.
The Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Chhindwara, Dr Naresh Gunnade, stated that authorities from the centre and the state were summoned to investigate the cause of the kidney failures. They have collected the sample and sent it for examination, whose report is yet to arrive.
Meanwhile, the CMHO added, "We have also banned the use of some medicines which include cough syrups that have been found in the houses of dead children, and it is also been sent for examination. We have asked to stop the sale of it till the lab report arrives."
Reacting to the minister's remarks, the Congress MLA Arif Masood accused Shukla of making irresponsible remarks and defending the cough syrup company, questioning why the minister is giving a clean chit to the company before the investigation is complete.
"This is a very regrettable response from the health minister; he should rethink it. If the Health Minister makes such a statement, instead of providing justice to the public, he stands in favour of the company. This isn't the first time he has made irresponsible comments before, as well as during the Indore rat-bite incident," Congress MLA Arif Masood said.
"What is the purpose of protecting the cough syrup company? The investigation is ongoing, and the ICMR is examining the report. Nevertheless, he is still giving a clean chit to the company (cough, Syrup). This raises questions against him (minister) that instead of ensuring justice for the public and the families of those who died, the Health Minister is defending the company. This is not a good thing at all," Masood said.
On the other hand, BJP Spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai emphasised the need for a thorough investigation, stating that it's premature to conclude the cause of death without the test reports from an FDA-approved lab.
"Now, until the test report arrives, we cannot conclude the cause of death. Samples of the medicine have been sent for examination. Until the test reports are received from an FDA-approved lab, it would be premature to make any decisions on the medicine," Bajpai said.
"There is a need for a thorough investigation into the death of the children. It needs to be investigated to determine if there are any other issues involved in the deaths. There is no need to reach any conclusions until all investigations, including forensic testing and examination of samples from an FDA-approved lab, are complete, the BJP leader said.
"I want to clarify on behalf of Health Minister Rajendra Shukla that no investigating agency has yet given a clean chit to any matter. I have spoken to the Health Minister on this matter. Congress can make allegations because its job is only to make allegations. We are running the government; we have to answer, and the one who answers is more responsible than the one who makes the allegations," Bajpai added.
Additionally, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Manish Sharma of Bhopal stated that they were also having the cough syrup examined by the drug inspector, and further action would be taken accordingly.
"We will temporarily stop the sale of the cough syrup till the examination report arrives," Sharma added.