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Dr K Mahesh Kumar

Telangana: 4 infants die of psychotropic drug, docs seek action

 Rohit Shishodia  
Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA), Hyderabad, Telangana, has urged the state’s Chief Secretary to initiate action on senior health officials including the Principal Health Secretary and Director, Directorate of Health Services, who authorized supply of Tramadol tablets (psychotropic drug) to state public health centers (PHCs) which resulted in the death of 4 infants post immunization on March 6, 2019 and August 22, 2018.

Dr K Mahesh Kumar, President, HRDA, told DTMT that Tramadol has been declared as psychotropic drug by the central government. It has also been included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), that means Tramadol 50 mg should only be supplied to secondary and tertiary care hospitals but not to primary healthcare centers (PHCs).

Dr Kumar said that in these cases Tramadol tablets, that too of 300mg, were supplied to PHCs just because these officials favored some pharmaceutical companies. Tramadol resembles Paracetamol. Hence, it was mistaken as Paracetamol. Tramadol was given to infants and after immunization, the infants died.

“This is gross negligence and legal action should be taken against the Principal Health Secretary, Director of Directorate of Health Services and other officials who authorized supply of the drug," demanded Dr Kumar

"Two infants died on August 22, 2018, at Yellareddypet PHC in Rajanna Sircilla district and two on March 6, 2019, at UPHC, Nampally, Hyderabad,” informed Dr Kumar.  

A letter issued by HRDA to Mr Shailendra Kumar Joshi, Chief Secretary, reads that Tramadol tablets with 300mg strength were supplied to the PHCs against recommendations of NLEM 2015 and Indian Public Health Standard guidelines. The tablets were not recalled after Tramadol was included in Psychotropic drugs on April 26, 2018.

The letter says that AEFI panel report on August 28, 2018, concluded that Tramadol tablets were given to babies due to oversight and physical similarly between PCM and Tramadol, by paramedical staff of Yellaredddypet PHC on August 22, 2018.

“We suspect few health department authorities had done favor to certain pharmaceutical company for supply of excess, unnecessary (1000 tablets to each PHC) and high strength of supply of Tramadol tablets to PHCs against norms and regulations after declaring the Tramadol as Psychotropic drug and included in Narcotics and Drugs and Psychotropic substances Act 1985,” said doctors in the letter.

“We request you to take necessary departmental action on Principal Health Secretary, Director, Public Health, and Family Welfare, the Director, Directorate of Health for their negligence and initiate CB-CID enquiry on other concerned authorities who authorized the supply of Tramadol tablets,” added the doctors.


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