Mama of children wey die demand justice over cough syrup scandal

One red toy motorbike siddon for di corner of Mariam Kuyateh home gathering dust. E suppose be for her 20-month-old son, Musa, but e don die in September. E be one of di 66 pikin in Di Gambia wey dem believe say die after being given one cough syrup wey dem say dey "potentially linked with acute kidney injuries", according to di World Health Organization. No-one for di family dey touch Musa toy - reminder of wetin dem don loss. Im 30-year-old mother, wey get four oda pikin dem, cry as she dey remember wetin don happun to her son. Sitting in her home for one suburb of The Gambia largest city, Serrekunda, she explain say im sickness start as flu. After e don see doctor, her husband come buy one syrup to treat di problem. "When we give am di syrup, di flu stop, but e come lead to anoda problem," Ms Kuyateh tok. "My son no dey wee-wee." She carry Musa go back to di hospital and dem do one blood test, wey rule out malaria. Dem give am anoda treatment, wey no work, and den come fit am one catheter, but e still no wee-wee. Finally, dem come do operation for di small pikin. No improvement at all."E no fit make am, e die." Earlier dis week, di WHO issue one global alert over four cough syrups in connection with di deaths for Di Gambia. Di products - Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup - dey manufactured by one Indian company, Maiden Pharmaceuticals, wey fail to provide guarantees about dia safety, di WHO tok. Di Indian government dey investigate di situation. Di firm neva respond to BBC request for comment. Pipo dey vex well-well for Di Gambia over wetin happun. Calls for di resignation of Health Minister Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, along with di prosecution of di importers of di drugs into di kontri dey grow. "Sixty-six na huge number. So we need justice, because di victims na innocent children," Ms Kuyateh tok. Five-month-old Aisha na anoda victim. Her mama, Mariam Sisawo, realise one morning say after she don take di cough syrup, her baby no dey pass urine. On initial visit to di hospital, dem tell di 28-year-old say nothing dey do her daughter bladder. E take two more trips dia back to back before dem refer Aisha to one hospital for di capital, Banjul, wey be 36km (22 miles) away from dia home for Brikama. But after five days of treatment dia, she die. "My daughter suffer painful death. One time when di doctors wan to fix drip on her, dem no fit see her veins. Myself and two other women for di same ward, we all loss our pikin dem. "I have two sons and Aisha na di only girl. My husband bin dey very happy to have Aisha and e still never come to terms with her death." Di Gambia no get laboratory wey fit test whether medicines dey safe and so dem don send am abroad for checking, Gambia health services director Mustapha Bittay tell di BBC Focus on Africa programme. But Ms Sisawo believe say di government gatz be more vigilant. "Dis na lesson for parents, but di greater responsibility dey with di goment. Before any drug enta di kontri, dem supposed dey properly checked if dem dey fit for human consumption or not," she tok. Isatou Cham dey too distressed to tok about di death of her two-year-and-five-month-old son, Muhammed. She comot di living room of dia home for Serrekunda crying with her two oda pikin dem. Muhammed papa, Alieu Kijera, explain wetin happun to im little boy. E say dem carry am go hospital wen e bin get fever and no fit wee-wee. But di doctors bin dey treat Muhammed for malaria and im condition dey worse. Di medics come say make dem go treat am for neighbouring Senegal, where dem believe get better health service, but while some improvement dey, e still no save am. Oga Kijera dey vex say im kontri no get good enough health system and force am to travel abroad. "If equipment and di right medicine dey, den my son and many oda pikin for no die," e tok.