Kafeel Khan, the doctor accused of child deaths in a hospital at Gorakhpur of Uttar Pradesh due to medical negligence, has been acquitted of all charges.
In 2017, Khan was accused for the death of 63 children at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. While the state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had blamed Khan for medical negligence, the real cause behind the deaths was perceived to be the running out of liquid oxygen supply in the state-run hospital. Khan worked there as a paediatrician. He was jailed for nine months after several charges were brought against him.
The state had formed an inquiry panel to probe the charges. The panel submitted its report in April absolving Khan of all charges and lauded him for doing whatever was in his capacity to save the lives. The report has clearly stated that Khan was in no way in charge of “storage, tendering, payments, orders, supply or arrangements” of liquid oxygen in the hospital. Instead, he had rushed to the hospital on receiving the news and procured 500 cylinders containing oxygen from various sources. It was due to him that many lives got saved. Khan was on leave that day.
The real cause of the deaths was the standing dues of oxygen supply. The supply was cut as no steps had been taken on part of the state to pay the dues. CM Adityanath was reported saying that there was no shortage of oxygen, although the panel report clearly states otherwise.
Khan has said that although the report was made public in April, he continues to be blamed for the deaths in order to hide state’s fault in paying the dues. He still remains suspended from the hospital.
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