Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 2: Tall claims by authorities of GMC Jammu that 33-bedded High Dependency Unit (HDU) has been opened and made fully functional for services of general public are totally false and fake as none of the 33 ventilators installed in the HDU are functional.
Official sources said though GMC authorities are claiming that all 33 ventilators in HDU are functional but their claim is totally false and a bluff with the public of Jammu on the name of COVID-19. Sources claimed that all the 33 ventilators in HDU are yet to be made functional for the want of uninterrupted oxygen supply from the existing oxygen plant which is not getting possible because of the fact that old exiting oxygen plant provides 85 to 90 % oxygen saturation or concentration whereas, these ventilators being high end requires more than 99% oxygen saturation to function.
They said at present GMC administration is making the oxygen reach in the central pipelines through Oxygen Manifold supplemented by oxygen cylinders and has kept oxygen concentrator as reserve but neither the Manifold nor the existing Oxygen Concentrated Plant meets the high flow oxygen requirement of COVID patients who are critically sick and thus none of the ventilators at HDU could be made functional.
“It is very unfortunate that despite full support of Government of India and Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, there is a complete collapse at GMC Jammu with regard to ventilator requirement to COVID patients,” they regretted.
Sources said on daily basis 5 to 6 patients have to be kept on ambu bag and denied of ventilator, that too when institution has more than 156 ventilators kept in stores for the last 6 months and they are biting dust. “People are dying and Hospital Administration is in deep slumber and giving false excuses that COVID patients do not require ventilators while the main cause of death in GMC Jammu in last one month remained interruption in oxygen supply and non availability of functional ventilators,” they added.
They said GMC authorities were very well versed with the compatibility of specifications forwarded to JKMSCL regarding high end ventilators and availability of liquid nitrogen oxygen need to make the high end ventilators functional but still they placed order for that and as a result, these ventilators could not be made functional.
Sources said in the separate meetings held on September 13 under the chairpersonship of Advisor (Health and Medical Education) to Governor and Financial Commissioner, the directions were issued to bring Liquid Nitrogen Tanks from Punjab to eliminate the issue of dip in oxygen pressure and make all 33 ventilators installed in HDU of GMC Jammu functional, and without any delay Government also sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the same and placed order for purchase of the same but sources said it might take one month time or may be delayed further as Punjab Government has imposed ban on supply of Liquid Nitrogen Oxygen outside the State amid COVID pandemic.
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