Praana Vaayu

jayasala42 · Aug 13, 2017

Very often there has been a hue and cry and Govt schools excel in teaching and Govt hospitals have very good infrastructure and that we people only neglect those institutions.
Yes, some of the schools have produced very good results.

Look at the general hospitals!In a horrific event, 30 children admitted at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur, reportedly suffocated to death in just 48 hours. These children were suffering from encephalitis, a fatal disease that is endemic to Gorakhpur and visits every year during monsoon, taking thousands of lives with it. But these children did not succumb to the disease. They died because their oxygen supply( Praana vaayu) was cut off by the supplier of oxygen cylinders to the hospital, as his dues amounting to nearly Rs. 68lakhs had not been cleared..It is not that the hospital authorities were unaware of this. For the past two months the oxygen supplying firm had been demanding payment and the hospital has been warned that the supply will be stopped in the event of failure to pay the dues.
While the hospital administration and UP government are trying their best to pass the buck around, we wish bring to everyone’s notice the one man, Dr. Kafeel Ahmed, who managed to save several lives with his presence of mind and humanity.
He was the paediatrician in charge of the encephalitis ward when the tragedy struck, and instead of standing around wringing his hands, he immediately sprung into action.

He called up all the suppliers of oxygen cylinders in the district that he could find and tried to arrange for the life-saving gas quickly. However, he was refused by everyone except one, and only on the condition that the payment for the cylinders was made in full before delivery. He did not hesitate for a minute but took out his ATM card and asked one of his staff members to get the cash from his bank account at the earliest.
While he waited for these cylinders to arrive, he saw that the situation in the ward was deteriorating. So he made some more calls and found a friend who owned a private hospital and had three big oxygen cylinders he could spare. Dr. Kafeel rushed to his car and drove down to this hospital to haul these cylinders to BRD. Before leaving, he trained the hospital staff to administer artificial respiration to patients using Ambu bags.
Meanwhile, the agency that had agreed to provide the cylinders backed out, and Dr Kafeel was left with the task of single-handedly trying to procure oxygen for all the children in the ward. He made frantic calls to many other nursing homes and suppliers, and finally found one supplier who kept his promise to deliver. Dr Kafeel personally managed to bring in 12 more oxygen cylinders from other nursing homes by making four more trips in his car, and saved many lives which would have added to the death toll if not for him.
In spite of all his efforts, Dr Kafeel had to witness the tragic death of more than 60 children in front of his eyes. “What’s the use of all the money and our education when we can’t save lives. Money has no meaning if we cannot save a life. I saw so many kids die in front of me and I couldn’t do anything to save them,” lamented the doctor.
Kudos to Dr.Kafeel.The parents whose children he saved see him next to God.

It is very sad to learn that the life savers have turned life takers.The liberal consolations that the authorities give and any compensation in money cannot bring back the lost precious lives.The assets of the nation are lost at the hands of irresponsible goons who simply shirk their responsibilities and are ready to engage themselves in blame game.

Jayasala 42

Sandycandy · Aug 13, 2017

Kudos to Dr. Kafeel ! But it shows how the efforts of one man cannot be too effective when the system itself is terrible. This would not have happened in most developing countries , a hospital not paying its dues for life saving oxygen supply is beyond my understanding .

Swat9105 · Aug 13, 2017

Unsung heroes.such examples must be recognised.they restore our faith in humanity

joylokhi · Aug 13, 2017

Dear jayasala maam,
although i had read and heard the news and was shocked at the way the administration was trying to justify their ineptness in all this, we did not know of the wonderful efforts taken by this one doctor. Truly people like Dr. Kafeel need to be brought to light. It was really shocking to watch the Health mininster also justifying their ground saying the children did not die due to the oxygen being cut off but more due to the disease they were suffering from. At such times i really wonder - was it destiny, god's will or sheer human neglect that has led to such mass deaths of innocent children!

sindmani · Aug 13, 2017

Pathetic condition . what happened to the crores of fund allocated to hospitals.......there are good humans life Dr Kafeel ,that is the only thing that provides hope. Thanks for the post

PushpavalliSrinivasan · Aug 14, 2017

Dear Jaya,
My eyes were welled with tears when I saw in the TV the children gasping for breath.
It is really heartwarming to see that Dr Kafeel took the responsibility to save the lives of many other children singlehandedly in such a difficult situation, while politicians were washing out their hands with lame excuses for the tragedy.
PS

SunPa · Aug 14, 2017

Such a tragedy!

However when i read news reports in the superlatives - aka the bollywood style of hero who single handedly takes on the world,bashing the bad guys, hunting across the city for the bombs and diffusing them, saving the world, it is too good to be true.

The head paediatrician in charge of the encephalitis ward and in such an emergency situation, he decides to ferry the oxygen cylinders personally. Wouldnt it make sense to delegate that to a junior staff and he be in charge of handling the situation on the ground? Administering his medical knowledge and leardership skills?

Politics is such a gutter - I dont know who is playing what games, i wouldnt put it past BJP to run a smear campaign especially with the doc being a Muslim. But the above story doesnt ring true either.

SCSusila · Aug 14, 2017

What happened in that hospital is horrible and cannot be excused . The news said there were repeated cautioning by staff about the supply becoming lesser and lesser , but nithing was done even when there was time to do it . Guving money compensation after a life is gone is an eye wash . What are they trying to buy with that money ? A pardon from god for doing such Paapam as letting children die ?
Some good souls do exist . Maybe we are getting rains only because of such few peoole .

girvani · Aug 14, 2017

Dear Jayasala amma,

I am in tears. I didn't know about it and it is heart wrenching that this is happening at this time when there is an abundance of wealth and knowledge. My heartfelt gratitude for Dr Kafeel and the team who did every bit to save a life. In that situation, thinking and taking decisions takes a lo. He is an living example of a true human.

As I am reading, I am thinking how I can help and contribute to the society in a day to day life. I am pondering and take this as an teaching from your post.

Love
vani

Viswamitra · Aug 15, 2017

Dear Smt. Jayasala:

I never knew this tragedy until I read your snippet. Dr. Kafeel like people are unsung heroes who exist the length and breadth of India. I wish many people think and act like him in such tragic circumstances. All the hospital management should be made accountable for this irresponsible behavior. Passing the responsibilities to one another is very common in government sector unless there is a paradigm shift in the attitude of employees in the government sector. Government can't handle everything itself unless people at different levels change themselves to serve people better.

Viswa