Cough Syrup Deaths: NHRC Issues Notices To Three States, DCGI

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments, directing them to probe allegations of children's deaths due to contaminated cough syrup and immediately ban the sale of spurious medicines.

It has also directed the Drugs Controller General of India or DCGI, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation or CDSCO, the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS and the Union health ministry to order an investigation into the supply of spurious drugs and instruct all regional labs in states to collect the samples of spurious drugs and submit test reports.

"The authority has also directed to order all the Chief Drugs Controllers in the concerned states to process immediately banning of the spurious drugs and submit reports," the NHRC said in a notice.

The commission said it has received a complaint seeking urgent intervention in cases of the deaths of 12 children in Madhya Pradesh (Chhindwara and Vidisha districts) and some districts of Rajasthan allegedly after consuming cough syrup.