Applause, apology deserved — not prosecution
For four months, Dr. Hasan Gokal has had to live under the threat of prosecution by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. What is his alleged crime? He made sure COVID-19 vaccines did not go to waste. It is time the charges are dropped.
On Dec. 29, 2020, Gokal administered 10 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that would have expired had he not administered them to eligible Texas residents. He says his actions complied with the Texas Department of State Health Services’ explicit instructions not to waste vaccine doses.
The Harris County Public Health Department fired Gokal for allegedly taking doses of the vaccine off-site, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office charged him with theft. Though a judge dismissed the charges, the district attorney said she plans to bring it to a grand jury.
This retaliation on part of the Harris County Public Health Department and the district attorney’s office is an affront to health care workers nationwide. Gokal adhered to the principle of “do no harm,” and he upheld his Hippocratic oath to safeguard the health and wellbeing of his community.
He should be applauded for his efforts and not criminalized for his sincere commitment to the public health of his county.
Recognizing the egregious nature of these accusations, several medical associations and health and human rights organizations have condemned the inappropriate dismissal of Gokal and the continued pursuit of criminal charges against him. These organizations include American Muslim Health Professionals, American Medical Student Association, Doctors For America, Imamia Medics International and Physicians for Human Rights, groups that collectively represent physicians, public health professionals and other health workers across the country. Our organizations are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all Americans.
For this reason, we have collectively reached out to Harris County Public Health Department and District Attorney Kim Ogg asking that Gokal be reinstated into his position, to stop pursuing charges against him and to issue him a public apology.
At a time when the country is reeling from the throes of a deadly pandemic that has disproportionately affected minorities, there is a crucial need for equitable access and distribution of vaccines. Gokal took heroic measures to ensure qualified residents of Harris County, regardless of race and ethnicity, got the vaccine they needed and no vaccine doses were lost. However, according to Gokal, when his employer saw the names of the vaccine recipients, he remarked on their potential foreign origins which flags the role of biases as barriers to equity in health care especially in this pandemic. Equity is not a buzzword to tout, it is an action to implement, just as Gokal did.
Gokal is on the front lines of the fight against this pandemic and he displayed extraordinary dedication to the public health of his community, as he helped vulnerable members of the Texas community including the elderly, and those with preexisting conditions. These individuals were at high risk and also had difficulty accessing the vaccine, which Gokal brought to their doorstep. Indeed, by vaccinating these eligible Texans, Gokal helped every Harris County resident by reducing the chance of spread.
The aforementioned organizations are concerned that seeing the repercussions against Gokal will create fear among physicians and other health professionals across the nation, increasing barriers to vaccine access. The downstream impact may lead to wasting of vaccines rather than administering them to deserving candidates. At this critical time, we need to implement processes that safeguard vaccine doses and ensure vaccine access for all deserving populations. These values were exemplified by Gokal and were on the same lines as the Oregon health workers who ended up giving the COVID-19 vaccine to fellow travelers stuck in a snowstorm on the highway in late January. They adhered to the No. 1 unspoken rule for COVID-19 vaccines which is “nothing gets wasted.” Gokal also appropriately followed that rule and therefore should be commended. Recently the Texas Medical Board also cleared Gokal of any wrong-doing, which further emphasizes the outrageous nature of these allegations.
Our health and human rights organizations stand with the Texas Medical Association and the Harris County Medical Society in applauding, not penalizing physicians like Gokal, who are working hard to avoid wasting vaccines. Our organizations condemn the continued persecution of Gokal by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Harris County Public Health Department’s inappropriate termination of this dedicated public health official.