16 children were poisoned and admitted to Kalawati Saran Children’s hospital in New Delhi after allegedly consuming a cough syrup which was administered by a mohalla clinic run by the state government, according to TOI report. Among the 16 children hospitalized, three of them died.
Reportedly, an inquiry that was carried out by the central government revealed that the children were poisoned by the drug after the drug was administered to them. The children were admitted to the Kalawati Saran Children’s hospital after they fell ill following the treatment at the mohalla clinic.
Following the incident, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Union health ministry has asked the Delhi government to send a notification to all dispensaries and mohalla clinics to stop the prescription of the drug to children who are less than four years of age. The drug was a cough suppressant, which is manufactured by a multinational company. The DGHS has also suggested that the drug should be withdrawn in the public interest due to its side effects.
A senior paediatrician said, “This drug is a centrally acting cough suppressant. It causes side-effects such as sedation and, therefore, it is not given to children. However, the side effects cannot be so serious in so many children. It is possible that the drugs were contaminated, or there were other issues. It needs detailed investigation and appropriate action.”
Notably, a mohalla clinic is a facility for providing free primary healthcare to the people of Delhi. The healthcare model was introduced as a flagship initiative of the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi undertaken to strengthen the primary healthcare system in the city. According to a senior health official, there were more than 500 mohalla clinics in Delhi. A mohalla clinic consists of a doctor and a midwife-cum-nurse and gives a wide range of diagnostic services and essential medicines free of cost to patients.
