Another tragedy has struck us.  While floods have affected millions of people of Assam, Gujarat, Bihar, and neighboring Nepal, over 70 children have died due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in BRD Medical College Hospital UP's Gorakhpur.

If you pause for a minute and try to imagine what a death of a child means, you will be struck with the enormity of this terrible episode. Imagine what a child goes through as she suffers brain fever, seizures, and paralysis before going down never to come back. Imagine what the child's parents go through while they, mostly poor and coming from Eastern UP, Bihar, Nepal, and even North-East, go from pillar to post for getting their children treated when everything from beds to medicines to equipment, to doctors are in short supply. Imagine the lives the unfortunate parents live carrying the burden and guilt of their children's deaths. I know an elderly couple who lost their son decades back when he was just 16. Both of them still weep silently.  Imagine that seventy more couples will now onwards suffer the same.  Over 25,000 children have died due to the same cause since 1978. Imagine that what 50,000 people, the unfortunate parents, have been condemned to.

When you know that the encephalitis is entirely preventable through sanitation, hygiene, and in some parts vaccination, you know what a terrible thing has been going on for decades.  Unless you have some political scores to settle, you will start looking at this yet another sad episode in the serial tragedy with a different perspective. You will also know that one thing that is a severe short supply is empathy and the other is diligence in carrying out one's duties.

The current episode of the Gorakhpur tragedy started unfolding at around 7:30 PM on August 11, when a report said that 30 children died in BRD Medical College Hospital due to encephalitis. The report was soon confirmed by Gorakhpur DM Rajeev Rautela. Since then the encephalitis death toll has mounted to over 70 children. The UP Government has suspended the college principal Dr Rajeev Mishra for his “irresponsible act of delaying payments to the gas supplier” The Nodal Officer for the Department of Pediatrics in BRD medical college, Dr Kafeel Khan, has been removed from his post on 13 th August. Dr Khan was in charge of the encephalitis ward where all this mayhem has taken place. A magisterial probe has been ordered and truth will hopefully be out soon.  The Yogi Adityanath Government on Saturday constituted a Chief Secretary-headed committee to enquire into the role of oxygen suppliers in the hospital.

Encephalitis, which usually strikes during the monsoon season, is the acute swelling of the brain. Children below fifteen are vulnerable and particularly those under five due to malnutrition and pre-existing bacterial infection. Like any viral disease, there is no cure -the patient needs to be supported while her body fights the viral infection as it runs course.  The Japanese encephalitis, which more prevalent in this region, is very intense in action and the mortality rate is very high. Patients die even when continuous supply of oxygen is there.

The BRD Medical College Hospital is the only hospital in the region for supporting patients in their fight with the disease. It is chilling to learn that "20 deaths in day are 'normal' here" in words local officials. The hospital receives about 60% of encephalitis cases across the country. It puts two patients on the same bed. The pediatric ICU has 50 beds for an average of 300 patients admitted every month. There is a controversy about nonpayment of dues to the oxygen cylinder supplier forcing it to suspend the supplies. There are reports that most of the staff have not been paid salaries regularly. The encephalitis staff were reportedly paid salaries in last couple of days after a delay of about five months. It is shocking that CM Adityanath and Medical Education Minister Ashutosh  Tandon were not briefed about the above issues when they had a two hour meeting with the Hospital authorities days before the tragedy struck.

The probes announced will bring out the full truth and nail the culprits, but is obvious that the hospital administration has been extraordinarily sloppy.  Dr A K Srivastava, Chief Medical Superintendent of BRD College, said that Dr Purnima Shukla, the wife of the suspended College Principal Dr Rajeev Mishra interfered in all administrative decisions like staff postings, transfers, and outsourcing. Dr Kafeel Khan, who was in charge of encephalitis ward where over 70 children died, is in the eye of storm. Most of main stream media tried to show him a 'hero who saved children by procuring oxygen'. His past is not exactly confidence inspiring -reports circulating on social media say that he was arrested by Delhi Police in 2009 for  impersonating and sitting for PG Medical examination for another person. It is also said that Manipal University suspended Dr Khan in 2013 for criminal case against him. Dr. Khan is reported to have denied these charges. Hopefully the probes will bring out the truth.

Much is made by main stream media about 'Adityanath's Gorakhpur' where the recent episode in ongoing tragedy had occurred. The same media and parties now in opposition never made encephalitis epidemic as issue for decades because the so called 'secular dispensations' ruled then.  The same media are conveniently silent about Yogi's campaign against Japanese encephalitis both inside and outside the parliament. As a CM, he has promised exemplary action against the culprits.

Were it normal times,  CM Adityanath's government would seem to have done what is needed now and that the problems are really with the hospital administration.

But here are some questions: What kept Dr Mishra and Dr Khan in their posts months after Yogi Government came to power? Is it too much to expect that as five times sitting MP Yogi Adityanath should have known better?

And, these are not normal times. When you came to power after ten years of misrule (and seventy years at the center) you rode on the back of very high voter  expectations and anger against other parties. It may seem unfair to you that you are judged very harshly if you keep doing things like previous governments or even if you do somewhat better than them. But that is the way things are.

It time that BJP governments stop benchmarking themselves with Congress and Congress like parties. It is better not to justify your decisions by saying that 'Congress had taken this decision'.  You may win an argument in TV debate or in Parliament but you will fall short of what people expect. It is time that BJP governments disengage from Congress in charting out their policies and governance. 

Another issue is how the UP government communicated. When faced with such an enormous problem you shouldn't argue at ministerial level about 'oxygen cause or not a cause'. You shouldn't say 'that deaths are less this year' You know the mess. Show that you are tackling it diligently.  

Empathize with parents who lost their children. Even a single preventable death is abnormal.

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorakhpur_hospital_deaths

2. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/gorakhpur-tragedy-principal-suspended-his-wife-posted-at-college-accused-of-calling-shots-4795502/

3. http://www.ibtimes.co.in/gorakhpur-tragedy-why-are-so-many-children-dying-encephalitis-uttar-pradesh-all-you-need-know-738415

4. https://www.thequint.com/india/2017/08/14/gorakhpur-tragedy-what-we-know-about-dr-kafeel-khan

5. http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/encephalitis-zero-oxygen-apathy.html

6.  http://rightlog.in/2017/08/yogi-adityanath-japanese-encephalitis-01/