According to sources in the Civil Hospital, Gujranwala, more than eight patients are in critical condition.
In November, 17 people died after consuming cough syrup Tyno in Lahore, after which pharmacy stores holding stock of this medicine were sealed and some people were arrested.
All the recent victims reportedly consumed a cough syrup being sold under the name ‘Dextromethorphan’. The substance dextromethorphan has been identified as an active ingredient in Tyno cough syrup.
The Gujranwala City District team, along with the police, had conducted raids in medical stores throughout the city.
Around 8, 765 syrup bottles had been confiscated from 96 medical stores out of a total of 224 which had been raided in the area.
COMMENTS (8)
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@Basim Ali Jafri@Ian : Perhaps when you are a little older you can look up dextromethorphan and possible side effects including deaths. While you are at it, reference the number of drug related deaths in the United States including those attributed to dextromethorphan. There are side effects associated with all medications. It is a shame that people in Pakistan have not learned that abuse and misuse of medications takes place all over the world and you can't blame a chemical when people willfully abuse it. Drug warnings are clearly written upn medication bottles. As you point out, illiteracy upon illiteracy!
The value of human life is so cheap in Pakistan right now that count of 40 even seems a normal number and it seems it is like a usual thing as nothing happened. Anyway if it will happen for an influential person then things seems to be different like in the case of Shahzab Khan who belongs from influential family of Karachi and ET run the headline for that guy otherwise for poor they are bound to dwell into oblivion.
Let us blame the CIA, Mossad, RAW, MI6 for this outrage as is our habit.
From the fresh deaths it appears that the Govenment of the Punjab has completely failed to take effective steps to ban the drug and recall the same immediately from the medical stores to save the lives of the innocent people. Are they all drug addicts? No not at all. Government should take the full responsibility and the Chief Minister should immediately resign.. Why he has not appointed a Health Minister in the biggest province of Pakistan during the last five years? Can he control all the departments himself alone or he has no faith in his MPAS. Are they all inefficient or he wants to project as master of all trades?He appears to be completely unaware as to what is happening in the provnce.He is surrounded by the few flatterng persons who have no other business except praising him all the time.
Whos health minister for punjab???? Shouldnt they resign??? You call this democracy?? Pakistan is an insult on democract
Dextromethorphan is their finding? I'm 17 and even I know that dextromethorphan is not only a harmless but rather useful drug, used in many syrups prescribed for cough that lacks phlegm.
Illiteracy upon illiteracy.
is the provincial government pinning the blame on innocent civilians again by calling them drug addicts? Just another feather in the cap of the Minister of Health for the province...oops there is none and the ministry is under "khadim-e-aala" like 12 other ministries including Home Ministry
As long as we don't chop hands, whip and hang people this will get only worse. Too barbaric? Ask the family of the people who died.