BREAKING NEWS

10-08-2025     3 رجب 1440

Save the Toddlers

October 07, 2025 |

The recent directive from the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare advising against the prescription or dispensing of cough and cold medicines to children below two years of age is a long overdue step towards rational and safe pediatric care in the country. Chairing a meeting on this issue, the Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, emphasized the urgent need to adopt rational medication practices for children. His intervention comes at a time when the misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines has become an entrenched, yet largely overlooked, public health concern. We are witnessing how cough and cold syrups are routinely administered to infants and toddlers at the slightest sign of respiratory distress. This is done often without doctor’s prescription and sometimes even prescribed casually by health professionals. Many of these formulations contain ingredients such as codeine, pseudoephedrine, and antihistamines, which are not only ineffective for very young children but can also be harmful. Studies globally, including those by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have shown that these medicines offer little to no benefit in easing cough or cold symptoms in children under two. Even worse, studies have shown that they can cause serious side effects including drowsiness, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, or even life-threatening toxicity. That it has taken so long for our healthcare system to institutionalize this caution is unfortunate. Our pharmaceutical markets are flooded with combination drugs, many poorly regulated, aggressively advertised, and sold freely without adequate warnings. Our tendencies toward “quick fixes” and the comfort of visible medication have further reinforced irrational use. Parents, anxious to relieve their child’s discomfort, often equate medication with care while remaining unaware that in such cases, restraint is the more responsible choice. The government’s emphasis on rational medication, therefore, must not end at advisory statements. It should lead to a structural shift in how the medical system, pharmacists, and parents approach pediatric illness. Doctors need to be sensitized to prescribe cautiously and educate caregivers on symptomatic relief through safer alternatives such as hydration, rest, and saline drops rather than reflexively reaching for syrups. Pharmacists, too, must be held accountable for not dispensing such medicines to parents seeking over-the-counter “remedies.” The decision is indeed better late than never. It prioritizes evidence-based, rational medication in children while the government is not just curbing potential harm but also reinforcing trust in the healthcare system and promoting a culture of scientific, ethical, and responsible medical practice.

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Save the Toddlers

October 07, 2025 |

The recent directive from the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare advising against the prescription or dispensing of cough and cold medicines to children below two years of age is a long overdue step towards rational and safe pediatric care in the country. Chairing a meeting on this issue, the Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, emphasized the urgent need to adopt rational medication practices for children. His intervention comes at a time when the misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines has become an entrenched, yet largely overlooked, public health concern. We are witnessing how cough and cold syrups are routinely administered to infants and toddlers at the slightest sign of respiratory distress. This is done often without doctor’s prescription and sometimes even prescribed casually by health professionals. Many of these formulations contain ingredients such as codeine, pseudoephedrine, and antihistamines, which are not only ineffective for very young children but can also be harmful. Studies globally, including those by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have shown that these medicines offer little to no benefit in easing cough or cold symptoms in children under two. Even worse, studies have shown that they can cause serious side effects including drowsiness, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, or even life-threatening toxicity. That it has taken so long for our healthcare system to institutionalize this caution is unfortunate. Our pharmaceutical markets are flooded with combination drugs, many poorly regulated, aggressively advertised, and sold freely without adequate warnings. Our tendencies toward “quick fixes” and the comfort of visible medication have further reinforced irrational use. Parents, anxious to relieve their child’s discomfort, often equate medication with care while remaining unaware that in such cases, restraint is the more responsible choice. The government’s emphasis on rational medication, therefore, must not end at advisory statements. It should lead to a structural shift in how the medical system, pharmacists, and parents approach pediatric illness. Doctors need to be sensitized to prescribe cautiously and educate caregivers on symptomatic relief through safer alternatives such as hydration, rest, and saline drops rather than reflexively reaching for syrups. Pharmacists, too, must be held accountable for not dispensing such medicines to parents seeking over-the-counter “remedies.” The decision is indeed better late than never. It prioritizes evidence-based, rational medication in children while the government is not just curbing potential harm but also reinforcing trust in the healthcare system and promoting a culture of scientific, ethical, and responsible medical practice.


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