Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Nov 8: It has come to fore that the ventilators provided to the SMHS Hospital Srinagar under the PM Cares Fund (PMCF) have turned out to be defective and have been able to cater to the needs of the patient care at the hospital.
In a reply to an RTI application which has been filed by a social activist, the Department of Anaesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine GMC, Srinagar has stated that it received ventilators under the PM Care Fund from the Medical Superintendent, SMHS hospital.
The Department has said that it received 37 Bharat Ventilators from Medical Superintendent SMHS Hospital which were then put on a trial run but had to return the same.
“However, all these ventilators were returned to Medical Superintendent SMHS Hospital due to compressor /heat up problems, which resulted in sudden shutdown of these ventilators,” the department has stated in its RTI reply, adding that these ventilators do not support patient care management.
The Department has also said that it received 3 Agva ventilators which are installed in SMHS Hospital. “However these ventilators are non-functional due to certain problems like display not working properly; problem in generating tidal volume,” it revealed.
The Government has viewed the misconduct seriously and said that an inquiry will be ordered into the matter to ascertain the facts concerning the matter in focus.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department (H&ME), Vivek Bhardwaj told Excelsior that the Government will initiate an inquiry into the matter in order to fix the accountability. “We will shortly initiate an inquiry into the matter that has come to the fore with regard to the ventilators at SMHS,” he said.
Further, the RTI reply in the matter has stated that 125 Dhaman ventilators were also received which have been stationed at DRDO Hospital Khonmoh Srinagar. It said that out of 125 ventilators, 2 are in SMHS Hospital for a trial run in order to ascertain whether these ventilators generate the required tidal volume.
“After a trial run, it was observed that the Tidal Volume had not generated; the required Flo2 could not be delivered to the patients; thus, not feasible to be put in use for patient care,” the reply stated, adding that ventilators stop automatically, hence, put patients at risk.
The Department said that it has not generated any requisition for the requirement of ventilators under the PM Care fund, while adding that the department possesses a sufficient number of ventilators, however, lacks manpower in the shape of nursing orderlies and sanitary workers.
Excelsior also contacted the Medical Superintendent SMHS, Dr Kanwarjeet Singh for his comments on the points that have been made mention of by the HoD of Anaesthesiology; however, he declined to comment on the issue.
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