An Indonesian court has ordered two local companies to pay up to 60 million rupiah ($3,850) to each family whose children died or were severely injured after consuming toxic cough syrup. Over 200 children in Indonesia lost their lives due to acute kidney injury linked to the syrup, with around 120 others surviving, some now living with disabilities that have imposed financial burdens on their families.
The court ruling, delivered by the Central Jakarta court, found drugmaker Afi Farma and supplier CV Samudera Chemical responsible for the poisonings, citing their negligence. However, the court cleared the health ministry and the country’s food and drugs agency (BPOM) of any wrongdoing, despite claims of lax oversight.
Parents who brought the civil suit had initially sought 3.4 billion rupiah for each child who died and 2.2 billion rupiah for survivors, but the court awarded significantly lower amounts—50 million rupiah for children who died and 60 million rupiah for those who were injured.
Siti Habiba, the lawyer representing the parents, expressed disappointment with the ruling, criticizing the compensation as inadequate and likening it to “begging.” She also lamented that the court did not hold the health ministry and BPOM accountable, ignoring the parents’ concerns about government oversight.
Afi Farma’s lawyer, Reza Wendra Prayogo, expressed the company’s dissatisfaction with the ruling and indicated they were considering their next legal steps. Last year, a criminal court had already found Afi Farma guilty of negligence for failing to test the ingredients supplied by CV Samudera Chemical, which were found to contain dangerously high levels of ethylene glycol, a toxic substance typically used in products like brake fluid and antifreeze.
CV Samudera Chemical, identified as the source of the toxic ingredient in the criminal case, could not be reached for comment.
