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Eva drifts to death

Death toll from Rid's paracetamol intake climbs to 28

Mahbuba Zannat
Four-year-old girl Eva of Asadnagar village in Comilla finally gave in to acute renal failure yesterday following intake of Rid Pharma's banned paracetamol suspension.
A total of 28 children have died of renal failure since June after having Rid's banned drug, which is still available in market despite the government's July 22 directive to withdraw it.
Eva was admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital on Sunday with acute renal failure after taking Rid s paracetamol suspension prescribed by a village quack.
"It was the government's duty to file unnatural death cases regarding the demise of some 28 children but it lodged only four cases with the Drug Court. Even no autopsy was done to find out the exact cause of the deaths," said Prof Rashid E Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement.
A Dhaka court on August 11
issued an arrest warrant against the managing director of Rid Pharma and its four employees. But none of them has been arrested.
Although the Drug SEE PAGE 15 COL 5 FROM PAGE 1
Administration was supposed to file a case under the Special Powers Act in association with the home ministry, it is yet to be lodged.
Anwar Hossain Munshi, joint secretary (Public Health) of health ministry, yesterday told The Daily Star that an autopsy is done after the victim's guardian files a case.
Legal experts said instead of compensating the poor parents of the victims, the government is shifting its responsibility onto them. It is impossible for many parents to pay Tk 40,000 as court fee for filing cases, they said.
"Manufacturing poisonous drug is a criminal offence. It is the government's duty to try (he offenders, ensure withdrawal of the products from the market and compensate the families of victims. The government's failure to control and monitor the drug market led to such deaths," said advocate Alena Khan of Bangaldesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights.
Every time, it is the nongovernmental organisations that initiate legal fights to ensure the rights of the people deprived of justice, Alena Khan said.
"Since many cases are still pending with the High Court, it will not be possible to ensure justice to the victims' families, if the government does not take necessary steps in this regard," she added.
A total of 37 children were admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University with renal failure since June. Of them, 28 died.
In 1992, at least 339 children died after taking toxic paracetamol, prompting the government to cancel registrations of five pharmaceuticalcompanies.
But the victims' families have not yet received any compensation and the Drug Administration is unaware whether any of them has resumed operation changing its name.