Greed and Negligence Turn Cough Syrup Poison

Bhopal: The death of 26 children in Madhya Pradesh after consuming a government-certified cough syrup has triggered outrage and shaken citizens’ faith in the state’s healthcare system. The fatalities; 24 in Chhindwara and two in Betul, were linked to Coldrif Cough Syrup, prescribed by government doctors and distributed through state hospitals.

Investigations revealed that government pediatrician Dr. Praveen Soni had been receiving a 10% commission from the pharmaceutical company for prescribing the syrup over the past 15 years, exposing deep-rooted corruption in the system.

The toxic syrup was manufactured by Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals and procured by the Madhya Pradesh government under the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Free Medicine Distribution Scheme, following a clean test report.

Under state policy, the Madhya Pradesh Drug Corporation tests all medicines before purchase, while the Food and Drug Administration (MPFDA) is responsible for ongoing quality checks. Yet, despite multiple layers of certification, the contaminated batch made its way into hospitals.

“If medicines certified by multiple government agencies turn out to be poisonous, it means the watchdogs are either compromised or completely ineffective,” said Health activists Amulya Nidhi.

The Health Minister and its Officials initially denied any link between the syrup and the deaths and defended the manufacturer. When test results were due, Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Rajendra Shukla, defended the pharma company.

The administration only acknowledged lapses after a Government Analyst at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai confirmed that the syrup sample contained 48.6% Diethylene Glycol (DEG)—a toxic chemical used in industrial solvents. The report stated that the syrup was “adulterated and poisonous, rendering its contents injurious to health,” ordering an immediate ban on Coldrif’s sale and distribution.

The permissible limit for DEG under Indian Drug Code standards is 0.1%, making the detected concentration 486 times higher than allowed, a level described by health experts.

Following public outrage, Madhya Pradesh Police filed a case at Parasia Police Station against Dr. Soni and Sresan’s director Ranganathan Govindan under BNS Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 276 (adulteration of drugs), and Section 27(A) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Dr. Soni’s family, who also ran wholesale and retail operations of the syrup, claimed ignorance about its contamination but admitted to having prescribed it for years. The state government announced a series of corrective measures—suspending doctors and FDA officials, sealing the manufacturing unit, transferring the state’s Drug Controller, and forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and also gave financial aid of Rs 4 lakh to each family. However, these steps did little to restore public confidence.

The government’s credibility was further eroded when the chief minister tried to downplay the incident, saying, “Wo kal ke baat hai, aaj rehne dete hai” (“Let’s not talk about the past”), drawing sharp criticism from opposition parties and civil society.

Taking a dig over the issue, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Umang Singhar said, “Death of two dozen children because of government negligence, is “an old matter” for chief minister, who blame erstwhile Congress government (1993-2003) for their failure in public rallies.”  

BJP took Rs 945 Cr from Pharma companies, alleged Congress

The Coldrif tragedy is not an isolated case. In 2024, when a government doctor in Indore flagged ineffective life-saving drugs that failed tests, the government merely seized the batch but took no action against the manufacturer or responsible officials.

Earlier this year, Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav was arrested in Damoh for impersonating a UK-trained cardiologist and performing fatal heart surgeries at Mission Hospital, causing at least seven deaths.

Even the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council has a record of inaction. An RTI activist, Vikas Tiwari, revealed that complaints filed in 2014 against 20 doctors—who went on company-sponsored trips to Italy and allegedly prescribed those companies’ medicines in return—are still pending.Despite rules mandating resolution within six months, the council has issued only four notices in ten years. Congress MP Digvijaya Singh accused the ruling BJP of shielding pharmaceutical companies that donate to the party. At a press conference in Bhopal on October 25, 2025, he claimed:

“Pharma companies donated ₹945 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds. At least 35 of those firms failed quality tests — yet they continue to operate under government protection.”

Singh’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded a high-level inquiry, alleging that the incident reflected a nationwide failure of drug regulation and a policy collapse that endangered citizens’ lives.

CAG Report 2024: State Kept Buying Banned Drugs

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for 2024–25, tabled in November in state assembly, highlighted deep-rooted mismanagement in the Madhya Pradesh Public Health Services Corporation Limited (MPPHSCL) between 2017 and 2022.

The report revealed that the corporation entered into rate contracts worth ₹1.5 crore for drugs explicitly banned by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Additionally, local district-level tenders worth ₹22.9 lakh were issued for these prohibited medicines, totaling ₹1.8 crore in banned drug purchases.

Worse, 263 medicines worth over ₹11 crore expired unused in district warehouses, including in Chhindwara. Tendering delays, inconsistent rate controls, and poor storage management were also flagged.

The report concluded: “Procurement, purchase, and management of medicines in Madhya Pradesh remain extremely poor, showing a lack of accountability and oversight.”Public Faith at Breaking PointFrom fake doctors to toxic drugs, and from corrupt procurement to political shielding of companies, Madhya Pradesh’s healthcare system is already in question. The death of 26 children has become a grim symbol of how institutional apathy and political complicity have turned Government hospitals into danger zones.

Leader of opposition (LOP) Umang Singhar said that children are not safe in Madhya Pradesh hospitals anymore. "Some get bitten by rats, some are victims of lack of proper facilities, unavailable doctors, and unavailable medicines. Even the available medicines are often counterfeit or substandard. And now children are dying after taking poisonous cough syrup.”

“We went to the hospital to save our children, not lose them,” said a grieving parent from Chhindwara. “If government doctors, government medicines, and government hospitals can’t be trusted — who can we turn to?” As public anger grows, the incident stands as a chilling reminder that when profit overshadows ethics, the victims are always the most vulnerable.