Gorakhpur-based doctor Kafeel Khan – who spent eight months in prison after he was alleged to be responsible for the death of 63 children due to shortage of oxygen in August last year – has been welcomed by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to serve in the Nipah-hit state.
Disturbed with the death toll from Nipah virus, Khan on May 21 wrote a Facebook post urging the Kerala CM to allow him to voluntarily treat affected persons at Calicut Medical College. He also praised nurse Lini Puthussery who was on duty while patients affected by Nipah were being treated at the Perambra Taluk Hospital in Kerala, and died later.
In response to Khan’s request, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) wrote on Facebook that the CM had appreciated Khan’s request to serve the Nipah-affected areas and asked interested doctors to contact the director of health department or the superintendent of the Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Vijayan praised many doctors like Khan who did not care about own their well-being and chose to serve the society instead.
Earlier, in August last year, 63 children suffocated to death after the liquid oxygen supplier of Baba Raghav Das Medical College and Hospital stopped the supply for not paying its due of Rs. 65 lakh even after repeated reminders. Khan was in charge of the acute encephalitis syndrome ward and collected many oxygen cylinders from other hospitals to save more than 100 children.
However, the Uttar Pradesh government authorities rubbished the claim and declared that encephalitis caused the death of the children. Following this, Khan was arrested with attempt to murder and graft charged and denied bail a number of times. Later, he published a ten-page letter alleging he was being made a scapegoat to hide the government failure. Khan was later granted bail.
