Doctors in MP register protest against 'illegal' arrest of Dr Soni in cough syrup deaths case

Bhopal, Oct 10 (PTI) Thousands of government doctors in Madhya Pradesh on Friday registered their protest against the "illegal arrest" of Dr Praveen Soni in connection with the deaths of 22 children due to contaminated cough syrup 'Coldrif', saying he was made a "scapegoat", and sought action against the "real culprits".

They alleged that the cough syrup at the centre of the controversy contained poisonous industrial solvent, and demanded that manufacturers of adulterated drugs be given capital punishment.

These medical personnel belonging to various bodies of doctors across the state, registered their protest by tying a black ribbon around their arms, but continued to carry out their regular work.

Police have arrested Dr Praveen Soni from Chhindwara for alleged negligence in connection with the death of children.

Members and office-bearers of Progressive Medical Teachers Association of MP (PMTAMP), state units of Medical Officers Association, Association of Medical Offices Medical Education, Prantiya Samvida Medical Officers Association, Employment State Insurance Doctors Association, Medical Officers Home Department; and Junior Doctors Association observed a two-minute silence in memory of the children who died following consumption of Coldrif cough syrup.

Around 8,500 doctors with government facilities across MP protested the arrest of Dr Soni.

Last night, the doctors' bodies held a meeting in Bhopal and decided to protest peacefully and work overtime to oppose the "smear campaign" against the community, one of the participants told PTI.

Talking to reporters, PMTAMP president Dr Rakesh Malviya, general secretary Dr Ashok Thakur and other doctors said Dr Soni kept the financial condition of the poor people in the tribal belt in mind and prescribed the cough syrup to them as it affordable with around Rs 30 per bottle as compared to other medicines of companies that cost over Rs 100.

This cough syrup was being prescribed for more than 30 years in MP, they said.

"The authorities should have checked it before its supply and sale in MP. It was poisonous and contained industrial solvent," Dr Malviya and Dr Thakur claimed, citing a post-mortem report.

"What was the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doing? Instead of prosecuting them, a doctor has been made a scapegoat. A case was registered against him last Saturday night and he was arrested at 2.30 am (on Sunday)," the doctors said.

Dr Soni's arrest is illegal and goes against the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Jacob Mathew versus state of Punjab, they said, adding that the arrest is contempt of the apex court, which has mandated an inquiry before registering a criminal case against a doctor.

"Instead of bullying a doctor who was not involved in manufacturing an adulterated syrup or its distribution, stern action should be taken against the people appointed to check and test such poisonous substances, " Dr Malviya said.

A law should be framed for death penalty to the manufacturers of such toxic drugs as they play with the lives of children. Corruption in the supply of drugs should not be tolerated, they said, and sought a fair probe into the deaths.

"We doctors are very much hurt with the prosecution of Dr Soni. People will lose faith in doctors. Such acts will dampen the spirit and break the morale of doctors working in remote areas of the country," Dr Malviya and Dr Thakur said.

According to them, the state has only four drug testing facilities - in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior.

Only the testing lab in Bhopal is well-equipped, they said.

Most of the 22 children who died following the consumption of Coldrif belonged to Chhindwara, while two were from Betul and one hailed from Pandhurna.

The Coldrif syrup was found to contain 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol, a highly poisonous compound. A sample tested at the Government Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai was declared "Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)" by the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drug Control. Following the report, the Madhya Pradesh government banned its sale across the state last Saturday.

G Ranganathan, the owner of Sresan Pharma - the company that manufactured Coldrif - was arrested by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh on October 9. He was remanded in 10-day police custody by a court on Friday. PTI LAL NP