Test Vitamin A capsules before use
The High Court yesterday forbade the government to distribute vitamin A capsules among children without conducting any clinical test.
In a suo moto rule, an HC bench of Justice Hassan Arif and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman said the government could distribute vitamin A capsules only if those were found to be of standards in the clinical test.
The court came up with the order following a report published in the Bangla daily Kaler Kantho yesterday with the headline “Ebaro onumodonhin A capsule shishuder mukhe (Unapproved A capsules to be administered to children again)”.
According to the report, the government in 2012 imported 10 crore of two types (blue and red) of vitamin A capsules and distributed those among children free of cost. But those capsules had not been tested.
Being fed with vitamin A capsules, several children in different parts of the country fell sick, which raised questions about the standards of the capsules.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) this year have made a move to collect 3.65 crore vitamin A capsules, the report says.
Referring to the report, judges said children were in a vulnerable situation, and the state was responsible for protecting their lives.
Many children had died after consuming adulterated paracetamol syrup, it said, adding that such incidents would not have taken place had the state machinery taken preventive measures.
Clinical test of vitamin A capsules is mandatory as per the relevant law, judges said.
In the rule, the HC asked the government to explain in four weeks why its move to distribute vitamin A capsules without any clinical test should not be declared illegal.
The health secretary, director general of DGHS and director of the central medicine storage department have been made respondents to the rule.
The court fixed October 20 for giving a further order on this issue.
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