Category: Health

Indonesia cough syrup deaths: Relief for families as court allows lawsuit

Parents whose children died or were injured by tainted cough syrup have wept with relief after an Indonesian court allowed a class action lawsuit.

“My child’s struggle was not in vain,” said Nur Asiah, whose four-year-old daughter died last year.

Her family and the relatives of 24 other victims have brought the case against Indonesia’s government and eight pharmaceutical companies.

More than 200 Indonesian children have died of acute kidney injury since 2022.

Indonesia is not the only country hit by contaminated cough syrup. About 100 deaths have been reported in The Gambia and Uzbekistan.

An investigation is continuing in Indonesia, but local authorities say so far no evidence shows links with cases in other countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued warnings about six cough syrups made in India and Indonesia.

“I didn’t know what I gave to my child was poison,” Nur Asiah told the BBC Indonesia ahead of the court’s decision.

Her daughter Nasya was prescribed cough syrup after developing a fever last year. She became very sick after consuming the medicine and died three weeks in the hospital later.

The lawsuit seeks compensation of $195,000 for every child killed and about $130,000 for every child injured. Other parents will be allowed to join the lawsuit, their attorney said.

“No amount of compensation will make up for what has happened. It won’t bring back my child,” Nur Asiah said tearfully.

BBC Indonesia tried to contact the eight companies being sued but not all of them responded before Tuesday.

“It is not appropriate if the responsibility is only placed on the pharmaceutical industry,” said the lawyer of PT Afi Farma, whose cough syrup was used by the majority of children in this case, adding that the government should also be held accountable.

Another company PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries said it had been using the same Indonesian Food and Drug authority (FDA) certified system for about 30 years for their cough syrup brand and it had bought the ingredients from an FDA-approved supplier.

“Honestly, pharmaceutical companies are also victims – victims of a crime by the suppliers of the raw materials,” its lawyer said.

A Health Ministry spokesperson said it had been working on a compensation scheme.

“We have tried our best by quickly finding causes, exchanging information with other countries, the WHO, and bringing in antidotes to treat toxic substances.”

Indonesian authorities have found that local chemical companies used industrial grade solvent material – Ethylene Glycol and Diethylene Glycol – in the syrup amid a global shortage of pharmaceutical grade solvents. The two substances are typically used in antifreeze solutions for air-conditioners and fridges.

Tearfund initiates affordable, cozy toilet seats in Juba

The Christian charity, Tearfund has introduced affordable easy-to-use toilet seats to improve hygiene and sanitation among communities in Juba county.

The piloting program was launched at the Gurei market in Juba county on Saturday.

Known as the SaTo, is a simple pour-flush toilet with an airtight seal that maintains smell-free latrines while preventing flies and other insects from getting out of the pit latrines.

The word SaTo is coined from Safe Toilet, an innovation designed for no or low-income households to maintain good sanitation in their homes and neighborhoods.

According to Rama Anthony, the Country Director for Tearfund South Sudan, the pans do help in reducing disease transmission by flying insects and eliminates odors from open pit latrines.

“SaTo products are ideal for households, schools, and community facilities as they are affordable, safe, and easy to maintain,

“SaTo pans are plastic toilet sitters that are affordable for low-income households, safe for children to use, and suitable for elderly people or people with disability and other mobility challenges,” said Anthony.

Speaking at the launch – Lydia Tabu -The project officer for Tearfund’s Market-Based Sanitation says the pans come in various types and sizes that are easily installed on concrete, mud, and wood slabs using basic masonry skills.

To ensure easy access and sustainability, Tearfund is partnering with local retailers in Juba to ensure the pans’ availability across the city.

Some of the beneficiaries have testified to the usefulness of the toilet seats they say have improved their health situation

“I’m very happy with this organization. Before the project, we were in a very terrible situation because our latrine was very smelly,” said Margaret Gale, a resident of the area.

The middle-aged woman is suffering from a knee ailment, but the introduction of the toilet seats has eased her life.

“I could not squat or bent because of my knees problem, but when the organization came up with this seat, I could squat with ease, And if I sit, it’s like I have sat on a chair.”

Tearfund also aided the construction of six toilets with the pan at  Kafuki Nursery and Primary Schools in the Gurei area.

The project has addressed challenges the school was facing, children used to fear going to the toilet

“Our children who are too young were unable to go to the toilets because when looked inside, they feared to help themselves, but now they do not because of the toilet seats’, said Benedicson Domirado, the head teacher.

“Secondly, the toilets have become so clean that you hardly see even a single fly and there is no smell,” he testified.

The introduction of the SaTo pans, is part of Tearfund’s market-based sanitation project being piloted in Juba County and the organization is now calling on households in Juba to embrace the toilet seats and install one.

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