Nearly 100 children in Indonesia reportedly died after taking the cough syrup.
The fatalities caused by the liquid medicine have prompted some families in the country to sue the government and the other companies responsible for supplying the said product.
Cough Syrup Ban in Indonesia
In early October, BBC reported that 99 young children were killed this year because of acute kidney injuries (AKI). The complications came from the ingredients used in the syrup medicine.
The report came just a few weeks after nearly 70 children perished after consuming cough syrup in The Gambia. Because of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) immediately flagged this as a global concern in the country.
The organization also discovered huge amounts of ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol deemed "unacceptable" for human consumption.
Four cough syrups which are manufactured in India are said to be connected to the deaths of children.
Indonesian Families Sued Government
The fatalities that took place two months ago were something that should not be ignored by the government. Many people think that the authorities have become too lax in allowing the suppliers to deliver these products to the country.
According to a recent report by The South China Morning Post, some Indonesian families want the government and some companies to take full responsibility for the incident.
The lawsuit suggests that Indonesia's ministry of health is accountable for the deaths of nearly one hundred children in the country.
Aside from the officials from the health department, the families are also hoping that Indonesia's FDA counterpart and seven firms should be held accountable. The involved companies are said to be selling the syrups to the public.
According to the legal representative of the complainants, Awan Puryadi, the government did not manage to stop the sale of these medicines, which later resulted in the deaths and injuries of young individuals.
"We demand the ... drug suppliers, pharmacies, the BPOM [food and drug agency], and the health ministry all take responsibility," Puryadi added.
As far as the compensation is concerned, the affected families think that the government and the seven companies should pay around US$127,049 or 2 billion rupiah for every person who dies. The lawyer mentioned that every injured person should receive US$63,524 or 1 billion rupiah to settle the case.
Puryadi said that more families would join the filing of the lawsuit soon. So far, only two families have filed a class-action lawsuit against the authorities and officials.
At the moment, the government has not yet disclosed any information if the medicine is locally-produced or imported.
The alarming cases of deaths might be higher than the recorded numbers, as one epidemiologist said. Dicky Budiman from Griffith University believes there might be more victims in the latest toll count.
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