The Madhya Pradesh police have established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the situation, while the state government has suspended Dr. Praveen Soni, a pediatric specialist at the Civil Hospital in Chhindwara district. Fourteen children from Chhindwara, who were given a banned cough syrup, are currently fighting for their lives in various government and private hospitals in Nagpur after suffering from acute renal failure. Testing of samples from six deceased children at GMCH-Nagpur revealed toxicity from diethylene glycol (DEG), leading to kidney and liver damage. The initial six fatalities were attributed to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).
A health official noted, “When doctors observed that patients with a history of cough and fever had completely stopped urinating, we became suspicious of the Coldrif cough syrup and shifted our focus to potential poisoning.” The Nagpur Municipal Corporation plans to issue an “imperative advisory” to doctors, reminiscent of the warnings from the Central government regarding cough syrup poisoning, particularly for children under five. On Sunday, the Maharashtra government prohibited the cough syrup Coldrif, manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. Dr. Manish Tiwari, Head of the Pediatrics Department at GMCH, mentioned that three children from Madhya Pradesh are hospitalized, two of whom are in critical condition.
“We have conducted a thorough analysis of the samples and sent those from two children who passed away yesterday for central testing,” he stated. Dr. Shashikant Shambharkar, Deputy Director of Health Services, confirmed that 14 children are receiving treatment in government hospitals in Maharashtra. He added, “We have instructed all public health facilities across six districts in Nagpur not to prescribe this syrup. Fortunately, none of our hospitals have any stock of Coldrif. Any evidence or information will be forwarded to our government.” Pediatric intensivist Dr. Anupam Bahe, currently treating several Madhya Pradesh children at Nelson Hospital, indicated that some patients had also received other cough syrups from local manufacturers.