Pakistan: Deaths by poisonous syrup

The Frontier Post

Selling medicine with the prescription of a qualified doctor is illegal and a cognizable offence throughout the world where even a painkilling pill is not made available without authorization. But this practice, meant for the safety and health of the people, is altogether absent in Pakistan where even toxic material is sold without the fear of law. Neither Punjab nor any of other provinces have enacted laws that restrict pharmacies and medical stores to sell medicine without the prescription by a qualified doctor and, as a result, tragedies like the one occurred in Lahore’s poor neighbourhood of Shahdara, keep on taking place and are normally pressed into oblivion by governments and people alike within no time. Reports say that seventeen people died by the intake of a toxic cough syrup between Friday and Sunday. By all means this is a human tragedy but authorities concerned up to the level of the chief minister took eyewash legal steps to hoodwink the people. Also included in these measures is the constitution of an inquiry into the terrible incident only to become one of the hundreds ordered before. That is why Punjab authorities thought as if sealing down three pharmacies and the medicines factory manufacturing the toxic syrup, Reko Pharmacals, was deemed enough a step enough to take on criminals. Reports say that fifteen people, mostly drug addicts, from one of the city’s most backward area of Shahdara, died on Friday and two more fell the victim on Sunday. Police said on Monday that several people fell ill and were shifted to Mayo Hospital after they took the syrup, Tyno. Five of them died en route to hospital while seven more died on Sunday as the victims consumed the syrup to get high. All the three pharmacists and owners of the medicines factory have been arrested on the charge of committing willful murder. Family members of the victims staged a protest on Shahdara Road on Monday for delay in post-mortem of the deceased. The provincial government also banned the sale of the syrup across Punjab. Police say they have also conducted raids at various medical stores and drug distributors to seize the banned syrup. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who also holds the portfolio of health, has constituted a three-member inquiry team headed by Chief Ministers Inspection Team, which has started its proceedings. The inquiry committee will submit a report within 72 hours in the light of which action will be taken against those responsible. Pakistan Medical Association said a law to restrict the sale of all medicines without a doctor’s prescription has already been enacted but the government failed to enforce it. A PMA statement said the sale of medicines by medical storeowners without prescription from a qualified doctor is a crime and is the root cause of the deaths caused by the cough syrup. In January 2010, more than 100 heart patients under treatment at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology died because of local made spurious drugs. The matter was taken up by the Lahore High Court which sought and got reports by health secretary and Director-General (Health) and sought the services of the FIA to proceed against all those responsible for the deaths. These medicines were procured for free treatment of poor patients The chief minister also constituted an inquiry into the alarming occurrence. But all these steps failed to take action against one single culprit and the chief minister’s inquiry was also never completed; no report saw the light of the day. If the PML-N government’s cognizance of the matter produced no results earlier, how can they make any meaningful difference now? The issue also concerns the Drug Law Authority which is tilted heavily in favour of pharmaceutical companies and was launched only two weeks ago with a fanfare, to roll itself into action by taking action against makers of sub-standard and spurious medicines. Perhaps, the authority can also undertake a legislation banning medicines sale without prescription. This step is absolutely necessary if the authority earnestly wants to achieve its objective of ensuring quality medicine at affordable price reaching the people. But this goal is not likely soon because provinces are yet to establish such authorities as required by the Drug Regulatory Authority Pakistan act 2012 and as ordained by the devolution scheme.