A five-month-old infant, Ruhi Minote, died on Thursday morning after being administered a combination of medications, including an herbal cough syrup, in the Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, where at least 20 other kids lost their lives due to contaminated cough syrup recently.
Ruhi had a fever and cough; unable to locate a doctor at the government health center in Bichua, Ruhi’s parents sought help from a nearby pharmacy on Monday. The shop reportedly provided them with a few sachets of medicine and an herbal cough syrup—a remedy that allegedly proved fatal for the infant.
A complaint was later filed at the Bichua police station, after which an inquest was lodged for investigation under Section 194 BNSS.
“An inquest has been lodged under Section 194 BNSS; teams of the health department and the food and drugs department too are conducting an inquiry into the matter through analysis of samples seized from the shop,” Bichua police station in-charge Satish Uikey said, and the New Indian Express reported.
Moreover, officials have sealed the medical store, which gave the syrup, and the remaining stock has been seized, and an investigation is underway by the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO).
“I have never come across a case like this before where an Ayurvedic medicine has caused a death. It’s too soon to say anything definitive; we’ll be able to understand what exactly happened only after the postmortem report is released,” CHMO Dr. Naresh Gonne said on speaking to FoEJ Media.
Last month, a toxic cough syrup was linked to the deaths of 20 children in Parasia and Chourai areas of Chhindwara district, along with three more fatalities in the neighbouring Pandhurna and Betul districts. The cases were traced to Coldrif cough syrup, produced by Tamil Nadu–based pharmaceutical company Sresan Pharma, and allegedly prescribed by government paediatrician Dr. Pravin Soni at his private clinic.
