No inquiry committee set up for faulty ventilators

Aurangabad, May 23:

The ventilators received under the PM Cares Fund in the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) were found to be faulty and unusable in the ICU. Efforts are now underway to repair ventilators provided to private hospitals along the GMCH. Instead of returning the ventilator, the emphasis is on using the ventilators for patients. Similarly, no investigation has been carried out yet in the matter.

The condition of 150 ventilators received in the GMCH from the PM Cares Fund was brought to the fore by this newspaper. The public representatives also took the news seriously and inspected the ventilators. Some of the 150 ventilators received in the GMCH were given at Parbhani and Hingoli. These ventilators are still lying unusable in those hospitals. MLC Satish Chavan had demanded that the state government should set up a high-level committee to inquire whether the ventilators in the PM Cares Fund are usable by the patients and return the ventilators if they are not usable. However, no one came to inquire or audit the ventilators. Meanwhile one hospital returned some ventilators to the GMCH. The company engineers are stationed in the city trying to repair and upgrade ventilators. Three ventilators have been provided to a private hospital. But they have been lying idle as even private hospitals were not able to use the ventilators. Engineers arrived at the hospital on Sunday to check the ventilator and undertook the work of repairing the machines.

Provide new ventilators

There is an urgent need for ventilators in the current situation. How many days will it take for the government to set up an inquiry committee. The priority right now is to take these ventilators back and give usable ventilators. Even if the number of ventilators is less, it will work, said MP Imtiyaz Jaleel.