By Omar Bah
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on Government to engage meaningfully with families of those killed by kidney injury from imported contaminating Indian medicine.
The tragedy claimed the lives of at least 70 Gambian children with the families of the victims continuing their search for justice and compensation.
In July 2023, 19 plaintiffs representing families of at least 70 children who died from Acute Kidney Injury filed legal proceedings against the Attorney General, Ministry of Health, Maiden Pharmaceutical Company, Atlantic Pharmaceutical Company Limited and the Medicines Control Agency. The families are seeking damages for the death of the children amounting to five million dalasi a child and damages for pain and suffering prior to the death of the children in the amount of another ten million dalasi, a child. Despite the gravity of the situation, the process towards an out-of-court settlement has stalled, with no agreement reached to date.
However, in its State of Human Rights Report 2024, the NHRC recommended that Government initiate productive dialogue with the families.
The NHRC specifically urged the government to open direct channels with the victims’ families, underlining the need for a settlement that prioritises the families’ needs and dignity.
The NHRC recommended not only financial reparations, but the importance of dialogue, acknowledgment and direct engagement with affected families to rebuild trust and chart a path toward closure.
“The Ministry of Health should engage victims’ families and explore avenues for out of court settlements as suggested by the court,” the NHRC said
It urged the Ministry of Health to take the necessary steps to continue the implementation of the Acute Kidney Injury Presidential Task Force Report.
