Healthcare system in the country has totally collapsed and the COVID pandemic has only exposed it. It is worse across North India as primary healthcare is in shambles there with the poor and downtrodden having no access to emergency or quality healthcare, said noted paediatrician Dr. Kafeel Khan on Thursday.
“COVID has shown thateven thosewith money had no access to hospital beds, drugs, oxygen and even lost their lives during the second wave. The reality is this is the daily issue with 70% of the population in the country. We need to have ‘Right to Healthcare’ passed in Parliament for everyone to get medicare within 5-10 km of their homes,” he said.
Dr. Khan has been in the limelight as the Uttar Pradesh government of Yogi Adityanath jailed him for the deaths of children due to lack of oxygen supply at the BRD Medical Hospital in Gorakhpur in 2017.
He was in the city to release his book ‘A doctor’s memoir of a deadly medical crisis’ recounting the incidents where he was made the ‘scapegoat’ for the tragedy despite being “the junior most in the department with no administrative and financial power”.
The book chronicles what went wrong during that time, how he was framed and became a ‘hero to a zero’, his jailed life and later termination from service though he was given a ‘clean chit’ by the High Court.“I am not a hero, just a common man fightingthe hatred intoxicating the minds of youngsters and innocent in the nameof religion. I am trying to do what a common Indian shoulddo. Everyone knows my story but I wrote thebook to compile what had happened with evidenceas 81 families are still waiting for justice having lost their children due to administrative failure and corruption of Mr.Yogi Adityanath’s government,” he charged.
“There was not a ‘singleevidence’ of corruption or medical negligence against me. Yet, I was made responsiblefor oxygen supply shortage and the “judiciary took nine months to releaseme after being with 200 other undertrials with acommon toilet,” he said.
Dr. Khan alleged that the UP government had ignored warnings about oxygen shortage and delayed payment because “10% commission was not paid”. “I was later terminated citing my illegal private practice,” added Dr. Khan, who has been visiting different cities to release his book. Former Osmania University Dean P.L. Viveshwar Rao released the book and the event was presided by Siasat’s managing editor Zaheeruddin Ali Khan. Medical Service Centre TS chapter convenor Dr. Sattar Khan also spoke.
