The Gambia Bar Association and Female Lawyers of Gambia have laid down key demands for government to pursue the Indian firm behind the contaminated cough syrups that killed 69 children.

The lawyer groups are demanding that The Gambia government robustly pursue the Indian Manufacturer, Maiden Pharmaceutical Ltd, using its bilateral ties with the Indian government to ensure that the manufacturers are held accountable and the victims are adequately compensated.

“Hold accountable any party or authority complicit in the importation, sale, and distribution of the substandard medications attributable to the deaths 

of the 69 Gambian children.

“Leave no stone unturned to ensure there is accountability and justice for the victims of this travesty through the pursuit of legal action against the persons and institutions responsible for the importation and distribution of the substandard medicinal products,” Salieu Taal, president of Gambia Bar Association and Anna AB Njie, president of Female Lawyers Gambia said in a joint statement.

The Gambia government has faced increased criticism from the public over its handling of the India-made contaminated syrups that hospitalised 81 children, 69 of whom have died. 

Maiden Pharmaceuticals is reported to have been a repeat offender in manufacturing substandard medicines. 

According to the Indian press, Maiden Pharmaceuticals has been found wanting in several cases of poor quality medicines which have resulted in deaths in India. 

The company is already blacklisted in many states in India and other countries including Vietnam. 

The four syrups this dodgy company produced, Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup And MaGrip n Cold Syrup, were only exported to Gambia. 

They contained high doses of Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol which are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal. 

Its effects can include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death.

The World Health Organisation has issued a global health alert on the four India-made cough syrups.

They warned that their use may result in serious injury or death, especially among children.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba