00:00And we'll kickstart this edition with some news just coming in.
00:04The Kerala Health Minister's big remark on cough syrup.
00:08Here the mantra says cough syrup is not advisable for children.
00:12No cough syrup to kids below the age of two is what Veena George has said.
00:16We do have a protocol on the consumption of cough syrup.
00:19It is not advisable to give cough syrup to children below the age of two.
00:24Still this particular incident shows.
00:26Doctors are prescribing cough syrup to children below the age of two
00:29which is unscientific and unacceptable.
00:32Kerala Health Department has decided to issue a notice.
00:35We've asked the drug controller to in fact issue a notice to all pharmacies
00:39and no pharmacy should give medicines to children without a prescription.
00:43Pediatric medicines should not be given without a doctor's prescription
00:47is the important word really.
00:49Coming in from Veena George there.
00:50Listen in to the Kerala Health Minister.
00:52Oh it's quite unfortunate that 14 or 16 children died because of consuming cough syrup.
01:03And the government of India has issued an advisory on the consumption of the cough syrup.
01:10And Kerala has already taken decision.
01:13The trucks controller department, the trucks controller has issued a notice banning the sale of this particular cough syrup called Riff
01:22in all the pharmacies across the state.
01:26I'm going straight across to Pramod Madhav for more details on that big story.
01:30It's tracking very closely a voice of sanity there from the Kerala Health Minister
01:35talking about the fact that to begin with these cough syrups,
01:38whatever cough syrups are there in the market should not be given to children below the age of two.
01:43That's a standard protocol but we've seen those violations.
01:46Haven't we, Pramod?
01:47The hard fact here is that like over-the-counter sale of cough syrup is something that we need to carefully take into consideration.
01:59And even in the state of Tamil Nadu, we got this information on the 1st and 2nd of October itself
02:03because once a communication was handed over to Tamil Nadu,
02:07the Health Minister claimed that immediately the officials went to the place
02:11and they actually took samples from the particular manufacturing unit and they took it for testing.
02:15And this is where shockingly they found out that diethylene glycol, a toxic substance,
02:20was found nearly 48.6% in content of that cough syrup and that was quite shocking.
02:25And immediately the production was halted over there.
02:28A show cost notice has been issued.
02:29Why shouldn't the license for such production be revoked?
02:32And cold drifts has been banned in the state of Tamil Nadu.
02:35In fact, Tamil Nadu has also informed Odisha and Pudicherry where it has been marketed as well.
02:40And right now Kerala has also taken the same step.
02:42Now they have banned it.
02:43And the very important aspect is that just like the Kerala Health Minister claims,
02:47this is a mandatory practice that below two years old,
02:50children are not supposed to be given cough syrup without the consent of the doctors.
02:55Leaving it at that for the moment,
02:56Pramud Madhav getting in those details,
02:58an important step that the Kerala government is now taking
03:01is that they've indicated that medicines given to children will not be given without a prescription,
03:07which is absolutely essential is what Veena George has now said.
03:11The tragic death of 16 children allegedly following consumption of contaminated cough syrup has shaken us.
03:18The horror has sparked nationwide outrage.
03:20A flurry of action is being seen right now.
03:23Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister ordering an anxiety probe
03:25and the National Human Rights Commission has stepped in,
03:28issuing notices, seeking a detailed inquiry.
03:31Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has dragged the whip
03:34after 14 children died in the state.
03:38All victims of a single medicine, cold-drift cough syrup.
03:41The state's drug controller, Dinesh Maury, has been transferred.
03:44Two drug inspectors and a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration have been suspended.
03:49A local doctor has been arrested for negligence.
03:52A special investigation team has been formed to prove the lapses that led to this tragedy.
03:57The Chief Minister who visited Chindwara to meet the families of the victims has said
04:01all those responsible will face strict action,
04:04also urging the opposition not to politicize this tragedy.
04:08Congress mounting a sharp attack, calling it an example of unforgivable negligence
04:13and demanding the Chief Minister should focus on accountability and sack his health minister.
04:18It is a real and unfortunate incident which has happened.
04:23And this has been happening for the last two months.
04:27We have seen two deaths in Rajasthan where the government has reported on this
04:31and unfortunately the green sheet was given to that pharma company.
04:34Now a doctor writes a medicine.
04:37And how far he is responsible whether the medicine is jernated, adulterated?
04:42How can he say that?
04:43We have written a medicine, side effects,
04:45and when this was sent for investigation to Madras this thing,
04:50they found out that the impurity is there and there.
04:55Let them do an independent inquiry.
04:57Go into the left of it and find out, fact-finding, who is responsible.
05:02We have made a direction of the U.P. government and our department
05:06that we will take all the bottles of the cup and syrup.
05:10We will take all the manufacturers, hospitals and all of them.
05:14We will take the saiyu, caesar, and these particular batches.
05:18All the batches, which there are batches, which there are batches.
05:18The batches, which there are many more of the company.
05:20And when the extra batches.
05:21We will take all the methods, we will take we will take the samples,
05:25and test them, so that we can see that there are no exceptions with us.
05:30. . . . . . .
06:00I don't know where I am, but I am saying that if I have given this kind of advice, then I am going to be able to do this.
06:13Our minister is here, eight days later.
06:17Yesterday, he was getting his hands, he was getting into the jungle,
06:23and he was trying to go to the village.
06:25I'm going straight across to Ravish, getting in more details on that story.
06:46Joining us from Chindwana at this point in time, Ravish,
06:49I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:19I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:49I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:51I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:53I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:55I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:57I'm going straight across to Ravish,
07:59I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:01I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:03I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:05I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:07I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:09I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:11I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:13I'm going straight across to Ravish,
08:15Thank you very much.
08:45Thank you very much.
09:15Thank you very much.
09:45Thank you very much.
12:23at that point in time the union government was in denial wasn't it dr.
12:44The fact is that pharmaceutical grade glycerine and propylene glycol required for manufacturing
12:57cough syrups are very expensive. Toxic substances such as industrial grade EEG and ethylene glycol
13:05or EEG are cheaper and then find their way into these medicines is what the IMA here is underscoring.
13:14The IMA has said the prescribing doctor has no way of knowing whether a medicine is contaminated
13:21until adverse outcomes are reported among patients who have taken it.
13:26If the committee if the law says that doctors are responsible throw him behind the back no problem
13:33but you can't do it like this it's a protocol to be followed there's a fact-finding team it has to be
13:38given to a committee of experts which will say he's responsible for this then you can arrest him
13:44or whatever you want to do. In fact the IMA has pointed towards the
13:48Mashelkar report of 2003 which said the problems in the regulatory system in the country were
13:55primarily due to inadequate or weak drug control infrastructure at the state and at the central
14:02level inadequate testing facilities shortage of drug inspectors non-uniformity of enforcement lack of
14:08specially trained carders for specific regulatory areas non-existence of data bank and non-availability
14:16of accurate information. Essentially the problem is with certain batches of the medicines so who's
14:22you know who's to be held accountable here. That medicine stopped watching in Sherwana what has
14:28happened that medicine had been sent to Tamil Nadu for checkup and they found out some of the
14:34ingredients which are not to be given to children. So who is responsible? Please tell us who is responsible?
14:43The body has said that the onus of the death of these hapless children falls
14:57squarely on the manufacturers and the authorities. Intimidation of the medical profession they say
15:03is uncalled for and will be resisted. In New Delhi, Sneha Mordani for India Today Television.
15:09What really should have been relief for a common cold? A cough turned into a silent killer. A bottle
15:17of cough syrup, trusted, bought and given with care to children is now sadly left behind graves
15:23instead of kegels. Families in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are mourning the deaths of their children.
15:29Who killed these babies, these children? Was it negligence? Was it greed? Or was it both?
15:36Who is responsible? While we continue to ask these questions on India Today,
15:40let's take a look at this detailed ground report.
15:43Who would have thought that a bottle of cough syrup could turn killer of kids?
16:13Young lives in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are lost.
16:18The home of 3-year, 11-month-old Usaid is now filled with silence and sorrow.
16:25His father Yasin, an auto-rikshire driver, sold his vehicle to pay for his son's treatment.
16:32Spending over 3.5 lakh rupees, but still unable to save the child's life.
16:38Yasin said that when his son fell ill on August 21st, he took him to a local doctor, as usual,
16:46who prescribed cold rift cough syrup. After taking the syrup, Usaid's condition only worsened.
16:54The child's mother and grandmother
17:24broke down while speaking about his upcoming birthday, where he would have turned 4.
17:30The child's mother and grandmother, he took him to a cycle. He took him to a hand and took him to a hand.
17:38He took him to a hand and took him to a hand.
17:40We all remember, it was very good, nobody would get up and get up.
17:48I remember, I remember, every day, every day.
17:54Do you feel like you were given this house for your help?
17:59Yes, we feel like we were all the same, we were giving slow poison from our hands.
18:03We were giving slow poison every day, every day, every day.
18:06Then there is five-year-old Adnan.
18:16His father runs a small customer service center in Chindwadas, Parasya.
18:22He borrowed money from neighbors and friends but could not save his child.
18:36We don't have a chance to stop our children.
18:41However, we don't have any information yet.
18:43We don't know how the kids have infected with the kidnik kids.
18:46We know that we are getting started by the children's house.
18:53What are the actions of the government?
18:56Today we have the president's president.
18:58The government is still here.
19:00The government is still there.
19:01They also should destroy them.
19:05Shattered families are now seeking justice, asking, who killed our kids?
19:24With Ravish Bal, Bureau Report, India Today.
19:35And we have some news just coming in at this point in time.
19:42From the state of Assam, Himanta Biswaga Sarma's government's heat on Congress's Gaurav Gogoi.
19:48BJP claims Gogoi is damming Pakistan link through, claiming that Assam SIT report is a bombshell there.
19:54Probe on Lok Sabha, Deputy Leader of the Opposition's Pakistan link, MP from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi under this banner here.
20:03Himanta government to make probe report public.
20:06Chief Minister Biswaga Sarma says, damaging and damning revelations.
20:13This is a charge that was made previously with the Himanta Biswaga Sarma government on Gaurav Gogoi.
20:19He's called it laughable and dismissed the charges.
20:22However, right now, an SIT probe is what the government is looking at, with the Chief Minister clearly saying that the reports are the same.
20:30Exposing Gaurav Gogoi's links to Pakistan and his wife's links to Pakistan is what the government is saying.
20:36Damming and damaging is what Gaurav Gogoi has said over the SIT report on Gaurav Gogoi's alleged Pakistan links.
20:45This was an SIT probing the alleged link of MP Gaurav Gogoi and his family with Pakistan.
20:52Gaurav Gogoi said, the report was informally discussed in the State Cabinet meeting held yesterday.
21:00We've informally discussed the report is what he informed.
21:03The SIT has submitted its report to the Chief Minister.
21:06Remember, earlier this year, an SIT was constituted by the Assam government to investigate the anti-India activities of a particular Pakistan national, Ali Thaukir Sheikh.
21:20The Chief Minister had accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth's links with Ali Thaukir Sheikh.
21:28The Chief Minister said, the government is going to be giving out a gist of the SIT pro to make people aware of the actual character of the Congress leader.
21:36I'm quoting Hemanta Biswasar right here.
21:39Anupam is getting in more details.
21:42All this while, it was a political charge and then an SIT was set up.
21:46Talk to us about what you're learning, essentially, from what has the SIT now told the government, given that the report has been submitted.
21:54Anupam.
21:54Well, you know, that special investigation team was constituted by the Cabinet and they were probing the Pakistan link.
22:05And now, Hemanta Biswasarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, has said that the report has been received and it shows a very bad report and says that we will publish it before a larger crowd because the situation at present in Assam following the death of Zubin Garg is not the right time.
22:25So, we will publish the report in a few days, maybe next week.
22:30And according to the Chief Minister, the report is based on several statements recorded by the team and the evidences.
22:39And it shows that a very bad report is coming out and he will only reveal the gist of the report because it's a very long report and only gist will be revealed to a larger crowd.
22:54So, I think it will be a very interesting political development in Assam in coming days.
23:01And a controversy won't be dying down anytime soon, isn't it?
23:04It's been going on for days together.
23:05Anupam, I'm going to leave it at that for the moment.
23:07Thank you for getting in those details.
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