Dr Kafeel Khan, who was arrested after the death of several children at a Gorakhpur hospital last year, has volunteered to work with Nipah virus patients in Kozhikode, an offer accepted by the Kerala government within hours.

Khan, who is now out on bail, is among the nine accused in the BRD Medical College case in which several children died last August after an alleged shortage of oxygen cylinders. The Uttar Pradesh doctor made his offer on Twitter as Kerala reported today that 10 people had died in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts due to the outbreak of Nipah, a virus hosted by fruit bats. Khan got a call from the Kerala chief secretary, saying Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had accepted his request.

Vijayan said the government was happy to welcome doctors like him to work in the state. "There are several doctors who serve in the medical field without any concern to their life and health. I am seeing Khan as one among them," the chief minister said. Vijayan asked health workers who want to work in Kerala to get in touch with the Kozhikode Medical College superintendent.

"Arrangements of my lodging and boarding will be made by the Kerala government. I am very happy that I got a chance to serve there," Khan said in Gorakhpur. Kafeel was in jail for seven months before being granted bail. "When I was in jail, the people of Kerala backed me on social media and after being released from the jail, I stayed for three days in Kerala," he said. In his Facebook post, Khan had requested the Kerala chief minister to allow him "to save innocent lives."

He also praised Lini Puthussery, the nurse who succumbed yesterday to the virus. "After sehri n fajr namaz was trying to sleep but couldnt. Disturbed with increase no of mortality due to Nipah Virus (NiV) infection rumors spreading on social media platforms," he tweeted. "I request Kerala chief minister Mr Pinarayi Vijayan to allow me to serve at Calicut Medical college to save innocent lives, he said. Sister Lini is a inspiration and I am more than willing to sacrifice my life for the noble cause. May Allah give me the strength/knowledge and skill to serve Humanity, he wrote.