Gorakhpur doctor sacked, Yogi vows stringent action
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday warned of exemplary punishment to those responsible for the death of at least 60 children in a government hospital here, as the Opposition called it a “massacre” and demanded his resignation.
The Centre, too, stepped in to contain the damage, approving a national virology research centre for Gorakhpur, the Lok Sabha constituency of Adityanath. The announcement was made by Union health minister JP Nadda, who flew in from Delhi and visited the Baba Raghav Das Medical College with Adityanath.
“Let the reports come. I assure you, if anyone’s negligence caused the death of a person, in any part of UP, he won’t be spared,” Adityanath said at a press conference he addressed with Nadda. He was talking about probes being carried out by a panel led by the chief secretary and a central government team into the last week’s deaths.
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Authorities turned the tragedy-struck BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur into a fortress for the visit of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and other VIPs on Sunday, allegedly disrupting services to patients.
A large police contingent descended on the hospital in the morning to sanitise the area and restricted vehicular as well as pedestrian movement from the main gate to the ward, where the children were admitted.
The CM reached the medical college at 12.28pm and went to all the wards with doctors. He then held a discussion with doctors and stayed inside the building for over an hour. During the period, even doctors appeared more concerned about attending to the CM than treating the patients. ››P13