Punished for humanitarian actions: Doctor at the centre of Gorakhpur hospital tragedy

A book retelling the Gorakhpur hospital tragedy where many died due to oxygen shortage was released in the city.

‘The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy-A Doctor’s Memoir of a Deadly Medical Crisis’, authored by Dr Kafeel Khan, was released at an event organised by the Medical Service Centre, Karnataka chapter.

Dr Khan dedicated the book to all those who died in the hospital on that ill-fated day. “I have presented their story as well,” he said.

Dr Khan said he arranged oxygen for the patients by spending his own money. “On hearing this, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called me. I expected that he would appreciate me, but in turn, I was abused singularly.”

“I had handled the situation keeping professional ethics in mind and humanitarian concerns, yet I was framed with false cases and sent to jail. I experienced a different world in jail. Today, I’ve come out due to public support.”

Dr Khan did not agree that he was treated badly because of his minority faith. “If not for ‘Khan’ anyone in my place would’ve faced the same ordeal,” he said. “The government’s objective was to conceal its mistakes. But since my name is ‘Khan’, a few people exploited the situation.”

Policy analyst and food quality expert Dr K C Raghu said: “Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan report health problems, especially in rural areas. These states have one doctor for every 50,000 population in rural areas.”

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