8,500 MP Govt doctors protest arrest of paediatrician in toxic syrup deaths case

The protesting doctors stated that the doctor was being made a "scapegoat". Therefore, 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.

Also read- Not doctor's negligence, but regulatory failure: IAP President-Elect on cough syrup deaths

Alongside the protesting doctors, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), which represents over 47,000 paediatricians across India, on Friday called for the withdrawal of cases against Dr Praveen Soni. The organisation stated that treating standard medical prescriptions as criminal acts would create fear among doctors and adversely impact healthcare delivery, especially for children.

At the same time, a group of medical associations representing more than 30,000 doctors in Madhya Pradesh urged the state government to drop the criminal cases against Dr Soni. They argued that Dr Soni had been wrongfully arrested and made a scapegoat, despite prescribing a drug that was lawfully approved and available in the market.

Commenting on this, Dr Rakesh Malviya, convener of the Progressive Medical Teachers Association (PMTA), told TOI, "SC has mandated a preliminary inquiry before filing criminal charges against a doctor." He cited the Jacob Mathew vs. State of Punjab ruling, stating that Dr Soni's arrest violated this legal precedent.

Recently, Medical Dialogues reported that Dr Neelam Mohan, National President-Elect of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) and Senior Director at Medanta Hospital, stated that the incident reflects “a systemic regulatory collapse” rather than medical negligence by the prescribing doctor.

Speaking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Mohan emphasised that the high levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) found in the syrup samples indicate severe adulteration at the manufacturing level, not a prescribing error by the arrested paediatrician, Dr Praveen Soni.

Medical Dialogues also reported that the Chhindwara Court has rejected the bail application of the arrested paediatrician, noting that substantial material of the case indicates a serious offence. 

Police have arrested Dr Praveen Soni from Chhindwara for alleged negligence in connection with the death of children. Members and office-bearers of the Progressive Medical Teachers Association of MP (PMTAMP), state units of Medical Officers Association, Association of Medical Officers 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. On Thursday, 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 was affordable, costing around Rs 30 per bottle compared to other medicines of companies that cost over Rs 100. This cough syrup has been 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 against the ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Jacob Mathew versus the 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 the death penalty for 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 by 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.

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 the sale of the syrup 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.

Also read- No relief for paediatrician accused in coldrif cough syrup deaths case