Following accusations from parents that a New Taipei City preschool had given their children sedatives, four Kaohsiung clinics were reported to have improperly prescribed patients controlled drugs. An Yilan County cram school this week was reported having allegedly given its students a controlled substance to help them concentrate and learn.
The series of drug misuse incidents, misprescription and possibly “drugging” of children has stirred concern over the management of controlled substances and the credibility of drug testing methods, as well as speculation on whether political maneuvering was behind the mishandled cases. The New Taipei City incidents included eight children of a Banciao District (板橋) preschool and a preschool child in Sijhih District (汐止). They tested positive for low traces of phenobarbital, which only a doctor can prescribe, in preliminary urine tests, leading to an investigation on whether the children were drugged.
The Kaohsiung Department of Health tracked the drug’s source and flow, and surveyed phenobarbital use at 2,702 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies in the city. It found that four doctors had improperly prescribed the drug for common colds, acute respiratory infections and colic. Shortly after, it reported its finding and punished the four clinics. The Yilan County Public Health Bureau on Tuesday reported that at least two cram school students were allegedly given Ritalin, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. The number rose to six on Friday after further inquiries. Ritalin is also a Class 3 controlled drug, like phenobarbital, that a doctor must prescribe.
However, the preliminary finding showed that it was prescribed to a student but given to other students by the teacher. Studies and news reports in the US over the past decade have also suggested that high-school and college students increasingly abuse it, falsely believing that it can improve their learning abilities and grades. Most of them obtained Ritalin from friends or family. While prosecutors investigate the three incidents, the sources of the phenobarbital in the New Taipei City preschool cases and whether the preschoolers were given the drug remain unclear, as further tests on five children for the substance were negative, the incidents have led parents to be fearful and insecure of how to ensure their children’s safety while they are with caregivers, and to hope that the government can better manage controlled substances. While the phenobarbital sources in the Kaohsiung cases seem evident and are being dealt with — questioning the doctors and pharmacists at the four clinics and temporarily suspending the clinics — the New Taipei City and Yilan County cases underline that caregivers and educators must learn about drug safety and recognize their legal duties.
As the Ministry of Education has recently cited the Early Childhood Education and Care Act (幼兒教育及照顧法) to explain that preschool educators are responsible for giving children prescribed medications entrusted by their parents or guardians, the ministry should provide guidelines to instruct teachers and school nurses on how to double-check the drug names and dosages, and strictly follow the prescribed instructions.
The central or local governments could also assist by providing a standardized medication administration consent form — with details of medicine administration (including daily dosage or acceptable changes under special circumstances) and the respective responsibilities of the students, teachers and parents — for schools to make the parents or guardians fill out, to better protect teachers and students.
Moreover, as the credibility of drug testing methods has confused the public, especially parents, the government, rather than getting entangled in political speculation, could also gather specialists to help standardize testing guidelines, so that scientific evidence can be the sole basis for future investigations on suspected drug misuse.
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