Renal failure of 20 kids to be probed
The government yesterday formed a seven-member probe committee for investigating the deaths of around 20 children from acute renal failure after taking paracetamol syrup.
The probe body has been formed at a meeting at the health ministry conference room with Additional Health Secretary BD Mitra in the chair. The meeting asked the committee to submit its report within five working days.
Joint Secretary (Hospital) Abdul Jalil was made convener while Deputy Secretary (Public Health) Mohammad Roisul Alam Mondol member secretary of the committee.
Experts from National Kidney Institute, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, BSMMU, Directorate General of Health Services and Dhaka Shishu Hospital are members the committee.
While talking to the newsmen, Prof M Moazzam Hossain, chairman of the department of Pediatric Nephrology of BSMMU said the government is considering the issue seriously and the sample collection has already started.
Some eight patients, aged between 11 months and three years, were admitted to the department of Pediatric Nephrology of BSMMU with acute renal failure since last one and a half months and five of them died.
Besides, some 26 children were admitted to the department of Pediatric Nephrology at Dhaka Shishu Hospital with acute renal failure since June to July 19. Among them, 17 died at the hospital.
Later, the hospital authorities found that most of the patients were provided with the paracetamol syrup containing poisonous diethylene glycol, a chemical used in tannery and rubber industries.
Prof Hanif of the department of Pediatric Nephrology told this correspondent that after being doubtful he tested the paracetamol syrup that he received from a patient's parent at a private laboratory and found the presence of 'diethylene glycol'.
The Dhaka Shishu Hospital authorities sent a report on it to the Directorate General of Health Services that later directed the hospital authorities to carry out further investigation.
Prof Moazzam said a huge number of children had died of acute renal failure in 1992.
He also said the unscrupulous businessmen use 'diethylene glyco'l as the solvent in paracetamol syrup instead of 'propylene glycon' and this led to renal failure of the children.
"As the diethylene is less expensive and can be bought only at Tk 200 per litre, the unscrupulous businessmen use it instead of buying 'propylene glycon' at Tk 1,100 per litre," Prof Moazzam said adding that sample collection has already begun and real facts will come out within five days.
The Drug Administration authorities also visited the Dhaka Shishu Hospital and collected sample for testing.
But experts said it takes only one hour to test the presence of the poisonous ingredients in any drug through Gas Chromatography method and so, the government should not wait for five days.
They also suggested the parents not to get panic in this regard and said if it is prescribed, they can provide their children paracetamol syrup, manufactured by renowned pharmaceutical companies.
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