SDPI relieved at granting of bail to Dr. Kafeel

New Delhi, 26 April 2018: Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) feels relieved at the news reports that Dr. Kafeel Ahmad Khan, who had been languishing in jail for about last eight months in connection with the death of around two dozen children in a span of 24 hours due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur on August 10-11, 2018, has at long last been granted bail.

Gradually over the last two decades, India’s expenditure on its health care services has fallen. The allocation by the Centre towards healthcare services is barely 1 per cent of the GDP. So is the case with states, and more so with Uttar Pradesh – A Sayeed

Dr. Kafeel Ahmed Khan

SDPI national president A. Sayeed in a statement said that it is pity Kafeel Khan, who was initially hailed as a hero for using his resources to supply oxygen to Baba Raghav Das Medical College during the crisis hour on the night of August 10 last year, when infants died there as the oxygen supply allegedly stopped, was made a scapegoat to save the skin of bureaucracy as it was an administrative failure which resulted in the tragedy.

Sayeed said this was the reward for selfless service. The crooks could not digest the face of the service which this doctor rendered day-in and night-out which all the patients were witness to. The general public had openly told the media about Dr. Khan’s services in this entire fiasco, but, the “AndhBhakts” cannot see all this. Why, because the freaks cannot digest the fact that selfless services rewards itself irrespective of the faith the renderer professes. Dr. Kafeel was the person who was hailed as messiah for arranging oxygen for kids using his own money. Even AIMS doctors appreciated his efforts, they had even termed his suspension as unfortunate.

He pointed out the BBC World Service also reported that Dr. Kafeel Khan made efforts on his own to gather 250 oxygen cylinders. This shows true face of the UP Govt. that how low can they go to save their own people, they would even frame someone who actually tried to do some good. This doctor was hero and saved so many children’s lives, but he was implicated due to BJP politics. He purchased medicines for poor children from his own pocket. Here, it was the administrative failure for not ordering oxygen, but the doctor was caught when there was no negligence on his part for any medical treatment.

Sayeed wondered that despite the fact that in its counter-affidavit filed in the Allahabad High Court, the UP Government had admitted that the infant deaths were due to natural causes and not due to any lack of oxygen supply but still Dr. Kafeel was being denied bail all along up till date. His family had applied for bail on six different occasions in the past seven months which was rejected. Moreover, the High Court has said in its judgment that the allegations against Dr. Kafeel in the charge-sheet do not have concrete evidence.

The High Court has said in its judgment that the allegations against Dr. Kafeel in the charge-sheet do not have concrete evidence – A Sayeed

A Sayeed SDPI National President

The statement stated that the state of health in UP and essentially Gorakhpur district, is marred for want of funds in its public hospitals. Gradually over the last two decades, India’s expenditure on its health care services has fallen. The allocation by the Center towards healthcare services is barely 1 per cent of the GDP. So is the case with states, and more so with Uttar Pradesh. For Financial Year 2018, a total of Rs.17,181 crore has been allocated to medical and public health, which is barely 1.19 per cent of its total Gross State Domestic Product. Even this amount fails to reach the patients at the bottom rung as institutional corruption and systemic apathy eats away at money allocated for the purpose of public health.