2023-07-23 10:08:59
The commission of inquiry recognizes malfunctions which resulted in the use of these adulterated syrups, said the Minister of Health, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh. It established that four types of syrups imported from India are responsible for the death of at least 70 children from acute kidney failure in 2022 in The Gambia.
The commission of inquiry notably indicated that these adulterated drugs had not been registered with the Medicines Control Agency before importation. As a result, the minister announced the dismissal of the director of the drug control agency and his deputy. He also pointed to the responsibility of a supervising pharmacist who authorized the importation of these syrups without carrying out the required checks.
The commission of inquiry also underlined the urgent need to create a quality control laboratory to carry out tests on all drugs imported into the country.
« We can’t kill our children and leave us like this »
Wury Keita lost her 2-year-old daughter to this syrup. He is not convinced by the announcements made by the minister: They themselves confirmed that it was the drug that killed the children. It is said, but it is not enough for us. What we were looking for first was justice because we can’t kill our children like that and abandon ourselves. Before we went to court, they didn’t call us once. It was when we went to court that same day that the minister called to tell us, supposedly, that they were doing their investigation. They told us that they had no proof, which is why they did not send these people to justice. Finally, they now say they have all the evidence they need. They lied to us. The director of drug control even told us that it was the dirty water that had caused the sickness of the children. He lied, he said it was a flood when there were no floods here. If justice does its job, they will go to prison so that it never happens once more in the country. »
In his speech, the Minister of Health said that the Gambian government was exploring ways to sue the Indian pharmaceutical laboratory from which the drugs originated and to obtain compensation. A trial is due to begin at the end of October in The Gambia.
Read alsoGambia: relatives of victims of adulterated syrups demand justice
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