More than 200 kids who were prescribed Coldrif by accused doctor found to be safe: MP official

Chhindwara, Oct 9 (PTI) In a development that brought huge relief, over 200 children in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district who had been prescribed the cough syrup Coldrif were traced on Thursday and found safe, government officials said.

The district has been rocked by the deaths of 22 children who suffered from kidney infection after allegedly consuming the `contaminated' cough syrup, now banned. Following the deaths, district officials launched a drive to trace all the children who had been prescribed the cough syrup by arrested government paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni since August 17.

Dr Soni, child specialist posted at a government hospital in Parasia area who also had a private practice, was arrested last Saturday for alleged negligence that led to the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh, most of them in Chhindwara.

Probing the extent of exposure to the cough syrup, officials contacted over phone the families of all the children whom Dr Soni had prescribed Coldrif, and found that they were safe, an official said.

"We are now in the process of seizing the remaining bottles of the cough syrup," he said.

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have been deployed to visit such households, record statements and collect any leftover bottles, the official added.

After checking the register of Dr Soni's clinic, officials found he had treated about 5,200 patients, primarily children, since August 17. The 176-page record showed that more than 200 of them were prescribed the Coldrif syrup.

Over 200 people, including government staffers, were mobilised on Thursday to contact the affected families, the official said. "We would have begun this exercise three days earlier, but the visits of VVIPs delayed the process," he claimed.

"We expect to complete the verification and identification of all such families by late Thursday night," the official added. PTI LAL KRK