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New Delhi: The arrest of senior paediatrician Dr Praveen Soni, the physician linked to the controversial cough syrup linked to the deaths of 16 children in Madhya Pradesh, has irked the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Questioning the rationale behind Dr Soni being singled out for the child deaths, IMA stressed that treatment protocols were duly followed and the blame should not rest solely on the doctor.

The medical body will engage with the Union Health Ministry on the matter, so that Dr Soni is released from custody, reported India Today.

The medical body has also raised the question as to why the concerned pharmaceutical company has been given a clean chit, and warned that doctors will go on an indefinite strike if Dr Soni is not released soon.

Dr Soni was arrested on Saturday after police lodged an FIR against him and the operators of Sresun Pharmaceuticals, manufacturers of Coldrif cough syrup, under several sections of the BNS, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The FIR, filed on basis of a complaint by Dr Ankit Sahlam, Block Medical Officer of Parasia Community Health Centre, stated that the cough syrup was contaminated, and that several children who were treated by Dr Soni for fever and cough later developed symptoms of acute kidney failure.

The Madhya Pradesh government suspended Dr Soni with immediate effect for alleged negligence in treating the affected children.

Doctor’s defence

Dr Soni defended himself, saying that he and other doctors have been prescribing this particular cough syrup for several years.

“This syrup is not a one-day treatment. I have been prescribing medicines from this company for over ten years. It’s wrong to suggest that a primary doctor decides on the formulation. We receive ready-to-use, sealed medicines,” Dr Soni told India Today hours before his arrest.

A fact-finding team is en route to Chhindwara, where 14 of the state’s 16 deaths have been reported, to meet with local authorities and assess the situation on ground.

At least 3 other children have died in Rajasthan after consuming the cough syrup, which has been found to contain certain toxic elements.

The series of deaths, over a period of one month, sparked anger and outrage, forcing the administration to crack the whip.

Besides Madhya Pradesh, authorities in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh have also banned Coldrif cough syrup as a precaution, while Karnataka and Telangana have urged officials to keep a vigil over its use and sensitise the public about the same.