In response to the arrest of a pediatrician linked to child deaths from a contaminated cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has formally requested Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda’s intervention to have the case withdrawn. The IMA strongly condemned the action, arguing that the tragedy was a direct result of the manufacturer’s failure to maintain quality control and the subsequent inadequacy of regulatory oversight.
The IMA’s letter to the Health Minister clearly stated that the legal accountability for introducing an adulterated drug rests with the manufacturer and the enforcement agencies. The association views the doctor as a secondary victim of this institutional failure and calls for the immediate closure of all legal proceedings to address the professional defamation and trauma they have endured.
The IMA president pointed out that the arrest fails to adhere to the Supreme Court’s established procedures for apprehending medical practitioners. Doctors, he stressed, prescribe medications based on official regulatory approvals and the availability of products within the legitimate supply chain. They possess no means to identify manufacturing lapses or hidden contamination by toxic substances like Diethylene Glycol or Ethylene Glycol.
The IMA cautioned that prosecuting doctors for prescribing drugs in good faith, based on undetected flaws, unfairly penalizes professionals and cultivates widespread apprehension within the medical fraternity. This fear, the IMA warned, could foster defensive medicine and discourage the use of affordable generic drugs, ultimately harming patients. The association also put forth a five-point plan for systemic reform, including enhancing regulatory power, mandating testing for contaminants, establishing a robust recall policy, strengthening pharmacovigilance, and improving inspection protocols. The IMA is committed to working with the Ministry to enact these necessary improvements for patient safety.