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UNAIR NEWS – The rising number of children’s deaths from acute kidney failure has raised concerns among the public. Medicinal syrup was believed to be the cause of kidney failures in children.

Addressing the issue, UNAIR Pharmacist, Prof Junaidi Khotib SSi Apt MKes Ph.D. shared some tips on choosing safe medicine for children. To UNAIR NEWS (2/11/2022), the professor stated three important things for parents to highlight.

Follow government information

The community must carefully choose the medicine. Prof. Junaidi suggested people stay updated on the official source and information from the government, particularly the Health Ministry and the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM).

“People must follow the government’s information and official sources. They know and have the authority to hold, delay, or ban medicine with ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. Nowadays, there is also a list of banned medicine, so people can refer to the list. Insya Allah [God’s willing], it’s safe,” he said.

Furthermore, the UNAIR Pharmacist suggested the community not immediately grasp the information about medicine in social media, as it often becomes the source of hoaxes.

“The community gets information from social media, where anyone can create and share information. People should get the information and source for medicine wisely,” he added.

Find other form of medicine

Prof. Junaidi further stated that apart from medicinal syrup, children can take other type of medicine, for instance, powder. He believed that switching to other forms of medicine also offers a safe option for medication.

“Second, the syrup is not the only medicine children could take. Parents can also choose another medicine type, like powder,” he said.

“It may taste bitter, but it offers another safe option amidst the [medicinal syrup] issue,” the professor said.

Involving doctors and pharmacists

In the end, Prof. Junaidi advised the community to involve doctors and pharmacists’ roles in determining safe medications for children. They play essential roles in providing guidance and prescriptions for the community.

“If the medicine requires a doctor’s prescription, parents have to consult the doctor before going to the pharmacy, where they meet the pharmacist. The pharmacist will give the information regarding the good and safe medicine and preventing the potential of kidney failure,” he said.

He suggested the community not panic and stay alert so similar incidents would not happen again.

“Hopefully, the community won’t panic about the situation. Everyone is concerned. Therefore, we must be aware of this incident so that it won’t happen in the future,” he said.

Author: Yulia Rohmawati

Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia