Patna: A health awareness programme was organised at the Dr Diwakar Tejaswi Clinic on Exhibition Road, Patna, under the banner of Public Awareness for Healthful Approach for Living (PAHAL). During the event, Dr Diwakar Tejaswi, who is the Medical Director and Senior Physician of PAHAL, expressed deep concern over the growing risk of adulteration in cough syrups available in the market. He said that random and regular testing of these medicines was urgently needed to ensure they are safe for public use.
Dr Tejaswi explained that batches of cough syrups licensed for sale in Bihar should be tested periodically to detect any toxic or harmful chemicals, such as diethylene glycol, which have been found in some medicines in the past. He warned that the presence of such substances could lead to poisoning and pose serious health risks, especially to children and elderly people who commonly use cough syrups.
He also mentioned that several poisoning incidents have taken place in recent years, both in India and other countries, due to poor quality control of medicines. According to him, these cases clearly show that any negligence in drug quality testing can become a major threat to human life. To prevent such incidents, he said the government should make the testing system more strict and transparent.
Dr Tejaswi further added that those involved in manufacturing, supplying, or distributing fake or substandard medicines must face strict legal action. He stressed that accountability should be fixed at every level of the system so that only safe and effective medicines reach the public. He urged the government departments responsible for drug regulation to act responsibly and ensure that no compromise is made with the quality of medicines being sold.
The programme, coordinated by Sanjay Kumar Sinha, Programme Assistant at PAHAL, aimed to raise public awareness about health safety and the importance of medicine quality. Dr Tejaswi concluded by saying that ensuring safe medicines for everyone is not just the responsibility of the government but also of the entire medical community and the public.
