Tainted cough syrup: Dextromethorphan death toll reaches 40

The latest victims include Zahid, Maqbool, Saleem Saghir, Allah Ditta and a person whose name could not be ascertained.

At least eight more people are in serious condition, hospital sources said. Four of the deceased belonged to the same locality of Girjakah.

Doctors said all the victims of the cough syrup tragedy showed similar symptoms like central nervous system breakdown followed by failure of the respiratory system and heart and ultimately death.

While talking to the media, special assistant to Punjab chief minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that after similar deaths in Lahore, samples of the syrup were cleared by laboratories but the post-mortem reports revealed that 90% affected persons were drug addicts. He said that samples of Dextromethorphan cough syrup have been sent to laboratories that would send their reports in due time.

Substance abuse


Rafique said that it was not uncommon for some addicts  to lace the cough syrup with drugs to increase its efficacy from a mild sedative to a high intoxicant. Such misuse, according to him, is more to blame rather than the cough syrup itself.

He said that the medical stores are more responsible for the problem, because they sell medicines, even sleeping pills and anti-depressants, without prescription. Drug inspectors are taking action under the Drug Act against pharmacies that sell medicines without prescription, he said.

Hospital runs out of lifesaving injection

The Civil Hospital in Gujranwala is facing shortage of an injection that is used in medical treatment of such victims. The Gujranwala DCO Najam Ahmed Shah has issued orders for the purchase of new stocks. One such injection costs Rs1,600 which most of the patients cannot afford to buy.

The DCO has set up 11 teams to take action against medical stores that are involved in the illegal sale of drugs, including the controversial syrup. District health officer Dr Muhammad Akram Rana and Drug Inspector Saleh Muhammad Joia said that drug inspectors have raided 84 medical stores and distributors, seized more than 10,000 bottles of bottles of the Dextromethorphan syrup and arrested three persons involved in its sale,.

CM orders confiscation

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered punitive action against those responsible for the tragedy as well as the confiscation of all the stock of imported raw material being used for the preparation of the  syrup. He also issued directives to send the samples of seized syrup for test abroad and said that further action will be taken after the report of a renowned lab of UK.

He issued these directions while presiding over a high level meeting at Model Town on Saturday, in which the causes of deaths due to cough syrup in Gujranwala and Lahore were reviewed in detail.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2012.