Daijiworld Media Network

Gorakhpur, Aug 13: The 'hero' doctor whose persistent efforts managed to save lives and control the death toll of children in Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College has been terminated from his job.

At least 36 children died since August 10 in BRD Medical College due to the lack of oxygen supply. The death toll would have been higher if not for the efforts of Dr Kafeel Khan, the head of the encephalitis ward.

On the night of August 10, the central oxygen pipeline in the college premises started beeping, indicating low supply of the gas. The supply through the emergency cylinders could be maintained for 2 hours. Dr Khan knew that for the critically ill children, uninterrupted oxygen was the only ray of hope.

When the supplier was contacted, the hospital staff was informed that the fresh supplies will be sent only after clearance of their dues.

The hospital authorities immediately started contacting other suppliers, who too refused. However, Dr Khan was not the one to give up.

He along with two other hospital staff drove to his friend's private nursing home and borrowed three oxygen cylinders which extended the supply to half an hour in the central pipeline.

He then directed his junior doctors to keep pumping Ambu bags if the oxygen supply further reduced in the central pipeline.

By then it was 6 am and several children were developing convulsions for want of oxygen.

He then drove again to different nursing homes and managed to collect around 12 oxygen cylinders and made four trips to the hospital to deliver these cylinders.

When he returned to the hospital he was informed that a supplier was ready to deliver cylinders but on cash payment. Dr Khan paid Rs 10,000 from his own pocket and also took care of the delivery expenses.

Dr Khan is being appreciated by many parents and hospital authorities for not giving up and working persistently to bring the situation under control. However, he has been terminated from his services in the hospital on Sunday and replaced by Dr Bhupendra Sharma. He is the second person from the hospital administration to be terminated. The reasons are not yet revealed.