Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government constituted a committee to submit a report on the management of pediatric cough syrups following the death of at least 14 children after consumption of Coldrif syrup in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Tuesday.
Kerala Health Department has also asked the Drugs Controller to issue a notice to pharmacies not to sell pediatric drugs to children without a doctor’s prescription.
Veena George said that the State Drugs Controller has imposed a ban on the particular cough syrup, and the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) does not supply the syrup to government hospitals.
Speaking to ANI, Veena George said, “It’s unfortunate that 16 children died by consuming this cough syrup Coldrif. The Government of India has issued an advisory on the consumption of cough syrup. In Kerala, the Drugs Controller has issued a notification banning the particular cough syrup Coldrif in all the pharmacies across the state.”
“We don’t have this in our essential drugs list. This is not being supplied by the KMSCL, which is our corporation that supplies medicine to government hospitals. But, we are ensuring that the sale is not happening in private hospitals and pharmacies,” the Kerala Minister added.
She said that the committee on pediatric cough syrups will submit its report to the Kerala Government.
“We have already done this in the case of antibiotics and have strict enforcement in the State. We have established a committee that will submit a report to the government. The committee is particularly focused on the management of pediatric cough, because irrelevant combinations should not be in the syrups. We have decided to issue a guideline regarding the management of pediatric cough, which is very essential,” she said.
Furthermore, she alleged that doctors were prescribing cough syrups to children under the age of 2 years, which is not advisable.
Veena George said, “We do have a protocol on the consumption of cough syrup. It is not advisable to give cough syrups to children under 2 years old, but this case shows that doctors are prescribing cough syrups to children under 2 years old, which is unscientific and unacceptable. Kerala Health Department has asked the Drugs Controller to issue a notice to pharmacies not to give pediatric drugs to children without a prescription.”
