Dr Kafeel Khan made a ‘scapegoat’ by UP govt, say AIIMS doctors

coastaldigest.com web desk
August 14, 2017

Gorakhpur, Aug 14:  Dr Kafeel Khan, a paediatrician who saved lives of countless children at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, where more 70 children died last week, has been made a the "scapegoat" by the government, according to doctors at Delhi’s AIIMS.

Dr Khan, who was head of paediatrics and the children's encephalitis wards at the hospital, was removed on Sunday amidst the visit of chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to the hospital.

Parents of children admitted to the hospital said that had it not been for Dr Khan, the number of fatalities could have been far higher. Dr Khan borrowed three oxygen cylinders from other nursing homes when the oxygen supply at BRD Hospital and even withdrew Rs 10,000 from his personal account to purchase 17 oxygen cylinders in order to save as many infants as possible.

"Doctors are being made scapegoats," said Dr. Harjit Singh Bhatti, who heads an association of resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS. The association has written a letter condemning Dr Kafeel Khan's sacking, accusing the state government of "gross neglect of public health." By blaming doctors for the death of the children, the association said, "politicians are hiding their incompetency," and asked, "Who is responsible if oxygen, gloves, equipment not available?"

Last Thursday, at the BRD Medical College and Hospital, Gorakhpur's largest hospital filled with premature newborns and children suffering from encephalitis which plagues the area, the supply of liquid oxygen dipped to a critical low. 23 children died at the hospital that day and parents and others have blamed the oxygen shortage for some of the deaths.

Amid calls from opposition parties for his resignation, UP CM has promised "standard setting punishment" for those found guilty of negligence in an investigation into the large number of child deaths at the hospital, as his government denies emphatically that the shortage of oxygen led to deaths.

The hospital maintains that there was a shortage of oxygen only for about two hours on Thursday, after the hospital's regular vendor stopped supply over non-payment of bills, but that liquid oxygen was soon sourced from other places.

The head of the hospital Dr Rajeev Mishra was suspended on Saturday, while Dr Kafeel Khan, on whose watch oxygen supply dipped to a critical low at the hospital on Thursday, was removed yesterday.  Government sources said he was sacked for failing to take action on a letter that was written on Thursdaymorning by those in charge of the hospital's oxygen supply, warning that that there was only enough to last till the evening and asking for emergency supplies.

"We are not saying that the doctor can't be responsible, but he's not the only one responsible. We want a proper enquiry, government officials are also involved and even they should be held accountable. Not just a single doctor," said Dr Bhatti of AIIMS, who emphasised that hospitals lack infrastructure and basic facilities.

Adityanath said yesterday that he was at the hospital in Gorakhpur, his parliamentary constituency for almost 20 years, just a day before supply was disrupted, but no one informed him that there was a crisis. "I was here on the 9th and I categorically asked about encephalitis but no one informed me. We made payment (to the oxygen vendor) on August 7. Why didn't the hospital administration make the payment?" he said.

The state government says that while it has released funds to hospital to settle the oxygen vendor's dues, his bills were not paid by the hospital administration till Friday, August 11. Dr Rajeev Mishra, who resigned after he was suspended, has blamed red tape.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been regularly briefed, the Centre has turned down demands for a separate investigation.  

Union Health Minister JP Nadda announced that an 85-crore regional medical centre would be set up in Gorakhpur for research on diseases that afflict children.

Also Read: 

Meet Dr Kafeel Khan who saved countless children amidst tragedy in UP hospital

Dr Kafeel Khan who saved hundreds of infants sacked amid Yogi’s visit

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News Network
June 3,2020

Mangalore, Jun 3: One man was arrested by the Crime Branch of city police from Mangalore for allegedly having links with gangster Ravi Pujari, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the man identified as Ghulam has been sent to 10-day police custody.

"During the investigation of a case related to Ravi Pujari, it was found that one Ghulam is a close associate of Pujari and had helped him in extortion and other illegal activity. Ghulam was arrested from Mangalore. He was produced before a court and sent to 10-day police custody," Patil said.

The senior police officer said that further investigation is on in the matter.

Pujari, who was wanted in several cases including ones related to heinous crimes like murder and extortion, was brought to Bengaluru earlier this year from Senegal. He had reportedly gone underground two decades ago and had allegedly been carrying out illegal activities from abroad.

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News Network
February 14,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 14: Police have submitted over 50 videos in a pen drive to Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha as evidence to violent protests that led to police firing on December 19 in which Jaleel and Nausheen died.

ACP and police nodal officer Belliyappa submitted a pen drive consisting over 50 video clips including CCTV footage. 

The police earlier had submitted 20 digital video recorder (DVR) before the court and an acknowledgement of the same was produced before the Magistrate.

Hearing on video evidence will be held at High Court on February 24.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Rome, Mar 11: Italy has recorded its deadliest day of the coronavirus crisis despite locking down the entire country, as New York deployed the National Guard to contain a disease that has sown worldwide panic.

The hardest-hit country in Europe said its death toll from the COVID-19 virus had risen Tuesday by a third to 631, with the surging epidemic taking its toll on global sporting, cultural and political events.

While authorities in China, where the outbreak began, have declared it "basically curbed", cases are multiplying around the world, sparking panic buying in shops, and wild swings on financial markets.

China remains the hardest-hit overall with more than 80,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths, out of a global total of 117,339 cases and 4,251 deaths across 107 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

The virus is infecting all walks of life, including politics, with US Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both cancelling campaign rallies and British health minister Nadine Dorries saying she had tested positive.

And amid criticism of the US authorities' response, New York deployed the National Guard for the first time during the crisis to help contain the spread of the disease from an infection-hit suburb.

There have been 173 confirmed cases in New York state, including 108 in Westchester County, home to New Rochelle where the majority of infections have been detected.

"It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country. This is literally a matter of life and death," said state governor Andrew Cuomo.

"People are scared, it's an unusual situation to be in," Miles Goldberg, who runs a New Rochelle bar, told AFP.

"It makes people nervous to be around others, it makes people nervous to get inside into businesses and such," he said.

In an unprecedented move, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has told the 60 million residents of his country they should travel only for the most urgent work or health reasons.

And while squares in Milan and Rome were emptied of their usual bustle and traffic, some residents appeared uncertain if they were even allowed to leave their homes for everyday tasks like shopping.

The virus has battered tourism around the world, as people scrap travel plans, and a restaurant owner in Florence in northern Italy said that the impact on business had been catastrophic.

"We hope that we will see the end of it, because from around 140 covers a day, this afternoon, we've gone down to 20-25," Agostino Ferrara told AFP.

Pope Francis also seemed to muddy the waters, holding a mass in which he urged priests to go out and visit the sick -- something Conte has specifically discouraged.

Sporting events continued to fall victim to the virus as authorities urge people to avoid large gatherings.

Arsenal's game at Manchester City was postponed after players from the London club were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier League fixture to be called off because of the virus.

The virus has sparked doubts about the Olympics due to open in Tokyo on July 24 and the traditional flame lighting ceremony in Greece is set to be held without spectators.

In the United States, organisers rescheduled the two-week Coachella music festival for October.

The virus and the response to the crisis has prompted pandemonium on global markets with volatility not seen since the world financial crisis in 2008.

After suffering its worst session in more than 11 years at the beginning of the week, the Dow Jones Index in New York bounced back significantly, rising five percent on Tuesday.

Politicians around the world have scrambled to put together emergency packages to ease the significant financial hardships the virus is expected to cause for households and businesses.

US President Donald Trump, who is relying on a strong economy to boost his re-election hopes, promised to announce "major" economic measures on Tuesday.

The biggest item on his wish list is a cut in payroll taxes. But even allies in Congress and reportedly some aides in the White House are sceptical, questioning the cost.

Italy prepared Tuesday to let families skip mortgage and some tax payments while Japan unveiled a second emergency package to tackle economic woes stemming from the outbreak, including $15 billion in loan programmes to support small businesses.

Analysts warned of further volatility ahead however.

"It's like winding up a rubber band. The more you wind it, when you let go, the more it pops," said LBBW's Karl Haeling.

"A lot of the uncertainty goes to the root of the virus itself."

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