A four-year-old girl from Chourai in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh, died late Tuesday at a Nagpur hospital, nearly a month after she was treated for complications allegedly caused by the now-banned Coldrif cough syrup.
Ambika was admitted to New Health City Hospital in Nagpur on September 14 and had been on ventilator support since then.
Her uncle, Narendra Vishwakarma, said the incident began in early September when Ambika’s cousin Om, 8, developed a cold and was prescribed Coldrif. After Om recovered, the same syrup was used for his sister when she showed similar symptoms.
“When Ambika fell ill a few days later, her father gave her the same syrup. They had taken a photo of the old prescription and bought a new bottle. In villages, people often reuse old prescriptions to avoid extra doctor visits,” Vishwakarma said.
Ambika received two to three doses before she started complaining of stomach pain and uneasiness around September 12. Her family first took her to Chhindwara, where doctors gave her saline and discharged her. When her condition worsened, another doctor admitted her.
By that time, local authorities in Chhindwara had already started probing deaths linked to Coldrif, but Ambika’s family said they were unaware of the investigation.
Dr. Pawan Nandakar, who treated Ambika in Chhindwara, found that her kidneys had stopped functioning. He referred her to Nagpur immediately.
Ambika was admitted to New Health City Hospital on September 14 and remained on life support for 27 days before she passed away.
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