According to news twenty people lost their lives after drinking a toxic cough syrup in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore. It was the second major drug related tragedy there, only months ago more than one hundred fifty people lost their lives after using defective heart medication. The death of such a large number of people, due to defective drugs, shocked the whole nation, but no one was brought to justice, because most of the dead patients belonged to the poor class. I am sure that if even one child or person from the rich elite had died there would have been committees formed and notices taken. Only days ago a remarkable example was set by the Saudi health authorities, they closed one of the biggest hospitals in Jeddah, after they found numerous medical errors and the death of two patients. Reality is that we need tough laws and right procedures in hospitals and pharmacies to save lives. Unfortunately uneducated and untrained people are running most of the pharmacies even in big cities like Karachi and Lahore, and they give medicines without a doctor’s prescription to anyone.
KHAWAJA UMER FAROOQ,
Jeddah, November 27.
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