Jind, June 18 (IANS). The Haryana government has decided to ban the sale and use of cough syrups which have been found to contain a poisonous chemical called diethylene glycol. The Health Department has instructed doctors and medical institutions to be alert in this regard. Officials have also appealed to the common people not to buy or consume any kind of cough syrup without doctor’s advice.
Dr. Raghubir Poonia, a doctor at Jind Civil Hospital, told news agency IANS that cough syrups in which diethylene glycol has been found to be present have been banned. Some companies manufacture such products, but the cough syrups currently reaching hospitals through the government supply chain are coming from authorized warehouses and have not been found to contain this dangerous substance.
Dr. Poonia said that as a precautionary measure, instructions have been given to all doctors not to provide cough syrup to any patient without a valid medical prescription. It has also been advised to avoid using such questionable cough syrups. He said that regarding cough syrup, we have ordered all the doctors not to give any cough syrup without any prescription and such cough syrup should be avoided.
He said that cough syrups containing diethylene glycol can prove fatal for patients. He reminded that there were reports of death of many children in Madhya Pradesh also in cases related to this type of cough syrup. In such a situation, the health department is not in favor of taking any kind of risk and strict monitoring is being maintained.
A large number of patients reach Jind Civil Hospital every day for treatment. According to Dr. Poonia, about 125 to 150 patients come to the OPD of the hospital every day. In such a situation, keeping in mind the safety of patients, special monitoring is being done on the quality and distribution system of medicines.
–IANS
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