Hyderabad, Apr 15 (PTI) A city-based paediatrician has quit the Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), alleging a lack of institutional support after pharmaceutical companies issued her legal notices over her public campaign against food products being marketed as ORS.
Sivaranjani Santosh told PTI on Wednesday that she resigned from the IAP three-four days ago.
Santosh received legal notices from pharma companies about three weeks ago, alleging her social media posts were disparaging to their brands and motivated by commercial benefit and desire for social media popularity.
According to the notice, a defamation case would be filed against her if she does not remove the existing social media posts against the products and she does not cease to make new posts.
However, Santosh questioned the notices on social media.
Meanwhile, the pharma companies made claims implying that their products were endorsed at a paediatric conference, she said.
The doctor said she sought condemnation of the notices issued to her and also the company’s claims.
She alleged that the IAP neither condemned the notice issued to her nor the company’s claims.
She added that she quit as an IAP member following differences and also “negative messages” being spread against her.
Santosh said she sent information and reports to the Centre regarding sickness caused by the sale of oral rehydration products branded and labelled as ORS.
In October last year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) directed all food business operators to immediately stop using the word ‘ORS’ (Oral Rehydration Solution) in their labelling and advertisements, calling such practices misleading to consumers. PTI SJR GDK SJR ROH
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