Black Immigrant Daily News

The Ministry of Health & Wellness says it has taken note of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) alert over four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India, warning they could be linked to the deaths of 66 children in the Gambia.

“Our records indicate that neither the manufacturer nor the product is registered with the Ministry of Health & Wellness and, therefore, the possibility of the product entering Jamaica is remote,” Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said in a release Friday.

“Additionally, our pharmacovigilance system has already alerted the Standards & Regulation Division of the ministry and our Import Permit Department is monitoring all donations and personal imports to further reduce the risk of the product entering the country,” Dr Tufton added.

According to the medical product alert issued by WHO on Wednesday, the four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup, and Magrip N Cold Syrup.

“To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to the WHO on the safety and quality of these products,” the alert said, adding that laboratory analysis of samples of the products “confirms that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.”

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Police from the Homicide Bureau of Investigations Region II and the Eastern Division are investigating the death of a 78-year-old Valencia woman.

Police said Roslin Ali, of Quarry Road, Valencia, was taken to hospital by an ambulance at around 8 pm on Tuesday after she complained of feeling unwell and having a lack of appetite.

Investigators said Ali had a history of medical issues and was being looked after by caregivers.

At around 5 am on Thursday, Ali was found dead in the ward by hospital staff.

Police said a CT scan revealed pieces of paper were found in a part of her body.

Sources said Ali’s death has been listed as “suspicious” and homicide could not be ruled out pending further investigation.

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In a demonstration of its commitment to ensuring the health and safety of Guyana’s workforce, the Labour Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) department, on Tuesday carried out inspections at several mining camps in the Potaro-Siparuta (Region Eight).

The visits sought to ensure workers and employers are adhering to the health and safety protocols.

OSH Officer, Darwin Bourne said the inspections also created awareness among the workers, as most camps in far-flung areas are not subject to frequent inspections.

“What we’re trying to do is prevent any form of fatalities or serious injuries to miners. We would also advise them to do some first-aid training. What we find is that with most accidents, persons suffocate within at least five minutes when they are crushed, crumbled or covered. However, if we establish an emergency plan, we can have them recover quickly, and preserve life.”

Bourne said while most persons take the information and adhere to protocols, regular monitoring is necessary.

“Even though when we advise persons, they usually put it into practice, we can’t only depend on them to say that they would continuously follow the guidelines.”

He said the ministry will facilitate regular OSH visits to these areas.

“We have flyers on safe mining practices and reducing hazards, as well as on working with mercury, to name a few. We also exchange numbers so that they can call for advice. We will be coming back to the area to monitor, however. We can’t just leave information.”

Officials from the ministry recently met with representatives of the Guyana Mining School, where at least nine rangers are employed to facilitate regular monitoring of these areas. The rangers will report to the mines officers any unsafe mining practices and will provide some level of monitoring.

The officials also met with the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Peter Ramotar, to discuss the facilitation of training sessions for staff later in the year. The meeting entailed establishing an Occupational Safety and Health committee under the OSH Act Chapter 99;10, Article 23.

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