Mothers of dead children in The Gambia have demanded justice after being given a cough syrup that had been potentially linked with acute kidney injuries.

A thirty-year old mother of Musa, Mariam Kuyateh, who happened to be one of the victims was in tears remembering the death of her son.

She explained that Musa’s sickness started with a flu. After he was seen by a doctor, her husband had bought the syrup to treat the problem.

Mariam said, “When we gave him the syrup, the flu stopped, but it led to another problem. My son was not passing urine.”

She returned to the hospital and Musa was sent for a blood test, which ruled out malaria. He was given another treatment, which did not work, and then a catheter was fitted, but he did not pass urine. Then they had to operate on the child but he did not make it as he eventually died.

Another mother, Isatou Cham was too miserable to talk about the death of her two-year-and-five-month-old son, Muhammed. She left the living room of their home in Serrekunda crying with her two other children. Her husband, Alieu Kijera, narrated what had happened to his little boy.

He said he was taken to hospital when he had a fever and was unable to pass urine. But the doctors were treating Muhammed for malaria and his condition was getting worse.

The medics then said he should be treated in neighbouring Senegal, where the health service is thought to be better, but while there was some improvement, it still did not save him.

Five-month-old Aisha was another victim. Her mother, Mariam Sisawo, realised one morning that after having taken the cough syrup, her baby was not passing urine.

After five days of treatment at the hospital, Aisha died.

“My daughter had a painful death. At a certain time when the doctors wanted to fix a drip on her, they could not see her veins. Myself and two other women in the same ward, we all lost our children.”

Sisawo believes the government should provide adequate health care system and be more vigilant.

Earlier, the WHO had issued a global alert over four cough syrups in connection with the deaths in The Gambia.

The products – Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup – were manufactured by an Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which had failed to provide guarantees about their safety, the WHO said.

There is a lot of anger in The Gambia over the recent deaths. There are growing calls for the resignation of Health Minister, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, along with the prosecution of the importers of the drugs into the country.

“Sixty-six is a huge number. So we need justice, because the victims were innocent children,” one of the mothers said.

ALSO READ: “India-Made Cough Syrup May Be Tied To Deaths In Gambia” – WHO Says