Gorakhpur hospital tragedy: Dr Kafeel Khan gets clean chit

A departmental inquiry has absolved pediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan of the charges of medical negligence, corruption and dereliction of duty on the day more than 60 children died at Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College due to oxygen shortage in August 2017.

Gorakhpur:Two years after 60 infants died at the BRD Medical College, a UP government inquiry has given a clean chit to Dr Kafeel Khan, who was accused of medical negligence and dereliction of duty

Dr. Khan was suspended following the death of children in the hospital on August 2017, following a shortage of oxygen cylinders in the pediatrics department of which he was a part.

Investigating Officer of the case, Himanshu Kumar, said that Dr Khan has been given a clean chit in the case, however certain conditions still apply.

There are four cases registered on his name, out of which he got a clean chit in two. According to reports, he had been proved not guilty under charges of failure to inform senior officials at BRD Medical college about oxygen cylinder shortage and dereliction in performing his duties.

He currently faces the investigation for withholding information about practicing with a private hospital despite being a government doctor.

The infants had died allegedly because of disruption in oxygen supply due to pending payments to the supplier, a charge stoutly refuted by the state government.

The government has maintained that the children died due to different illnesses, including Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and there was no shortage of oxygen.

Dr Khan said "Principal, BRD Medical College, Ganesh Kumar gave me the UP Government letter. It clearly describes that I am free from charges of medical negligence, corruption and not performing duty on that fateful day when around 70 children lost their lives at BRD Medical College Hospital".

"My bail order of Allahabad Court of April 25, 2018, confirmed that I was not part of the tendering process of oxygen supply and also there is no material on record which proves my medical negligence," he added.

Kumar said, "It is a procedure that Government letters and orders are handed over in person under which the letter was given to Dr Kafeel Khan on Thursday".

As per the investigation report, Dr Khan was neither the nodal medical officer in charge of encephalitis wards at BRD nor documents contesting the same provided by the department were adequate and consistent.

The report also states that Dr Khan was not involved in the process of allotting tenders for oxygen supply amounting to corruption, or of medical negligence on his part on the day of the tragedy.

The report also says that Dr Khan informed seniors about the shortage of oxygen supply and arranged seven oxygen cylinders on the night of August 10-11, 2017.

Dr Khan said he will hold a press conference in Delhi and ask CM Yogi Adityanath as to why his suspension has not been revoked so far.

"I have got the clean chit now. The question arises as to who killed the 70 children," he said.

Dr Khan said the letter handed over to him was dated April 18.