Toxic Paracetamol: 2 drug admin officials suspended

The government has finally suspended two officials of the drug administration for their negligence in dealing with a case filed for manufacturing toxic paracetamol syrup that killed at least 28 children in 2009.

The government has also initiated departmental proceedings against Assistant Director Shafiqul Islam and Deputy Director Altaf Hossain.

The moves came a day after a High Court bench rebuked Health Secretary (service) Sirajul Haque Khan for not taking any action against the two. The court had also ordered him to appear before it yesterday for explaining the reason for his inaction.

Appearing before the HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan yesterday, Sirajul informed it, through an affidavit, about the suspension and the departmental proceedings.

The secretary offered an unconditional apology to the HC for not taking actions against the drug officials earlier. The court accepted his apology and exempted him from personal appearance over the matter.

The court has been asking for action against the two officials of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) since March last year but no action was taken, the HC said on Wednesday while rebuking the health secretary.

Earlier, the Dhaka Drug Court acquitted all five accused in the case -- officials of Rid Pharma -- due to negligence of the two officials in investigating the matter.

From June to August in 2009, at least 28 children across the country died of renal failure allegedly caused by Rid Pharma's paracetamol syrups and suspensions.

On July 22 the same year, the DGDA sealed off Rid's factory in BSCIC area of Brahmanbaria following wide media coverage of the children's death, and findings of Dhaka Shishu (Children) Hospital physician Prof Mohammad Hanif that Rid Pharma's Temset had toxic substance.

In August 2009, Shafiqul Islam, the then superintendent of drug administration, filed the case with the Dhaka Drug Court.

In its judgment on November 28 last year, the court acquitted all the five accused, saying that the prosecution utterly failed to prove the charge against them.

Two officials of the drug administration involved in the case knowingly violated due procedure of law, and exhibited sheer negligence, inefficiency and incompetence in dealing with the case, the verdict said.

Shafiqul and Altaf were drug superintendents in 2009.

On August 3 this year, following a petition moved by advocate Manzill Murshid on behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, the HC ordered the health secretary to inform it within 72 hours what action had been taken against Shafiqul and Altaf for their negligence.