According to a Thursday afternoon press release, Dr. Hasan Gokal is accused of stealing the nine-dose vial while at work on Dec. 29 at the provincial vaccination site in Lyndsay Lyons Park in Humble.
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A week later, Gokal told a fellow Harris County Public Health employee, who then reported him to executives. Misuse of a vaccine could result in a loss of government funding for the county, according to Harris County Public Health officials, who first investigated the matter and Gokal was fired.
“He took advantage of his position to line up his friends and family for people who had gone through legal process to be there,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. “What he did was illegal and he will be held responsible under the law.”
Gokal is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. He is charged with theft by an official. The Class A Misdemeanor is fined up to one year in prison and fined $ 4,000.
ABC7’s sister station KTRK reached out to Harris County Public Health for comment. A spokesperson made the following statement:
“I can confirm that all the details in the press release from the district attorney’s office are accurate. Harris County Public Health has taken immediate action upon learning of vaccine abuse, which also involves alerting authorities. investigation is ongoing, we should refer you back to the prosecutor’s office for comment or interviews. “
Meanwhile, Gokal’s attorney, Paul Doyle, sent the following statement:
Dr. Gokal is a dedicated public servant who made sure that dosages of the COVID-19 vaccine that would otherwise have gone into the arms of people who met the criteria to receive it. Harris County would have preferred Dr. Gokal disposed of the vaccines and are trying to belittle this man’s reputation in the process of supporting this policy. We look forward to our day in court to rectify this injustice. “
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Gokal was one of Harris County Public Health’s faces during the pandemic, featured in videos and on town hall panels.
According to online records, he is in good standing with the Texas Medical Board and has practiced medicine for 21 years, including nine years in Texas.
“If the charge against Dr. Gokal is true, he has significantly violated public confidence in the medical community,” said Woods Nash, an assistant professor of bioethics and medical humanities at the University of Houston College of Medicine. “We rely on physicians and other health care professionals to put the interests of their patients and the public above their own goals and desires. That expectation of altruism will not be affected by the pandemic. contrary to the public interest. “
Gokal has not been arrested and no trial has been held.
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