20 children from MP died so far due to contaminated cough syrup: Dy CM

Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said a total of 20 children from the state have died so far while undergoing treatment for kidney failure after drinking a contaminated cough syrup. He said five children are currently being treated in Nagpur - two each in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and one in a private hospital.

Earlier, the state government had confirmed the deaths of 16 children from Chhindwara who had allegedly consumed cough syrup Coldrif, samples of which were found to have toxic contents.

Talking to reporters here after visiting the children undergoing treatment, Shukla said, "So far, 20 children from Madhya Pradesh have died while undergoing treatment...Two of them died in the past 24 hours." Describing the fatalities as extremely tragic, he said the MP government will extend all possible help to the affected families.

The syrup responsible for the deaths was manufactured by a company based in Tamil Nadu, Shukla said, adding that action had been taken for negligence against the company owner, the doctor who gave the prescription and and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials involved. Around 600 cough syrup bottles have been found in Chhindwara, of which 443 bottles have already been recovered. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and anganwadi workers have been directed to go door-to-door to collect any remaining bottles to ensure none of them remain in use, he said.

The government is conducting an in-depth investigation into the incident, according to him.

Two-and-half-year-old Dhani Deharia, a resident of Bhariyadhana village in Tamia block, had died on Monday while undergoing treatment at the Nagpur Medical College hospital. Her family members claimed that her health deteriorated after consuming the cold syrup prescribed by the doctor, and her kidneys failed. On Monday, the state government suspended two drug inspectors and a deputy director of theFDA and transferred the state's drug controller amid an investigation.

Chhindwara-based Dr Praveen Soni was arrested for alleged negligence, while a case has been filed against the company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup. The Madhya Pradesh Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the deaths and filed a case against the Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer of Coldrif.