Chamba district imposes blanket ban on cough syrups

Chamba Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Bipen Thakur on Monday said the sale, prescription and use of all cough syrups across the district has been banned as a precautionary measure to protect children’s health.

He said the order issued under Section 22(1)(d) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, on October 3, applies to all chemists, private allopathic clinics, hospitals, dispensaries and pharmacies in the district and must be implemented strictly.

Dr Thakur instructed all medicine retailers to inform the public not to keep cough syrups within children’s reach and to refrain from giving them to children below five years of age. He further directed the Drug Controller to collect at least five samples of cough syrups each month from various parts of the district and send them for laboratory testing. Existing stocks of such syrups, he said, should be discarded immediately.

Emphasising safe home-based remedies, Dr Thakur advised that cough syrup should be administered to children under two years of age only under a doctor’s supervision. He suggested that instead of cough syrups, people should use natural alternatives such as steam inhalation, drinking warm water infused with ginger and basil (tulsi) leaves and avoiding cold drinks to alleviate cough symptoms.

Additionally, all medicine sellers have been asked to maintain detailed records, including registers, bill books, patient names, addresses, ages and doctor’s prescriptions, which will be checked during regular inspections by health officials.

The decision follows the recent deaths of several children in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, allegedly after consuming cough syrup. In response, the Himachal Pradesh Health Secretary and Director of Health Services held an urgent video conference with all Chief Medical Officers to review the availability and safety of cold relief cough syrup in their respective districts.