UP fires doctor who saved lives of kids in Gorakhpur

Dr Kafeel Khan, a child specialist at the BRD Medical college, who used his personal resources to save the lives of children on August 11, has now been removed from all hospital duties.

The doctor was removed on the basis of a report by a news channel that highlighted an old case pending against him and also on charges of having a private practice,

Dr Khan had emerged as a hero on the social media after he went out of his way to borrow oxygen cylinders from other hospitals when the oxygen supply began drying up at the hospital.

On the night of August 10, Dr Khan, child specialist and doctor in-charge of the encephalitis ward, received a frantic call from the hospital, informing him that all oxygen will soon dry up.

Since he knew that patients of encephalitis will not survive without continuous oxygen supply, Dr Khan swung into action and rushed to nearby hospitals to borrow cylinders.

The first hospital he sought help from, gave him three cylinders, with which he immediately drove to the hospital in his car.

The doctor then made several such trips to various hospitals nearby to borrow oxygen cylinders till the next morning.

He managed to collect 12 oxygen cylinders and soon after received a call from a local supplier who promising to send cylinders but only on cash payments. Dr Khan then handed over his debit card to one of his juniors and asked him to withdraw cash to furnish the payment for the cylinders. By Friday morning, when the cylinders started running dry, it was he who instructed his junior staff to use the ambu bags to provide oxygen to the patients.