Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the Gorakhpur tragedy, is advising people on social media to ‘self medicate’ themselves against Covid-19 and has even suggested a series of medicines with dangerous side-effects if consumed without medical supervision.
The controversial doctor prescribed inhaled budesonide (steroid) 2 puffs twice a day and Dexamethasone (steroid) 6 mg daily for 10 days. Such medicines if taken without medical supervision can have extremely dangerous side effects.
The source of the information, according to the message shared by Khan, is Dr Zain Chagla, a physician in Canada with expertise in infectious diseases.
After people pointed out the risk of such advise, Kafeel Khan issued another tweet saying that Dexamethasone should only be consumed under trained medical supervision. But by then, it was too late and the tweet had received hundreds of retweets and thousands of ‘likes’.
As a responsible media platform, we urge people to consult a physician before following any recommendation on social media.
Dr Kafeel Khan was suspended after allegations of medical negligence were levelled against him in 2017 after 72 infants had died in BRD medical college in Gorakhpur due to lack of oxygen supply, and was arrested on that charge.
Two years later, after a probe by UP police, the charges of negligence and corruption were dropped, but he was still charged with running a private practice and two other accusations. He was released in 2018 after spending 9 months in jail.
He had in the past taken to social media to spread false news that he had been given a ‘clean chit’ in the 2017 case in a departmental inquiry. The Uttar Pradesh government had in October initiated a fresh inquiry against him for spreading misinformation and forcibly entering a hospital and trying to treat patients during his suspension period.