71 out of 80 ventilators supplied under PM Cares Fund to Faridkot medical college found defective

In an unfortunate development, most of the ventilators that Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital received from PM Cares Fund and ventilator manufacturer AgVa Healthcare, were found erratic and not functioning due to several technical snags, reported The Tribune. 71 out of the total 80 ventilators were found non-functional while others stopped after a few hours due to some technical fault.

The quality of the ventilators received is significantly inferior, said Dr Raj Bahadur, Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.

“The functional machines, too, are constantly hit by snags, so we cannot use these for patients until we have a repair mechanism in place,” he added.

The Punjab Chief Secretary has approved the hiring of engineers and technicians for the repair work. “They are expected to reach Faridkot in 24 hours,” a source said

Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital (GGSMCH) is a constituent college of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS)

According to the report in the Tribune, doctors complained that the pressure in ventilators sent by the Centre drops within half an hour of being put to use.

The hospital already had 39 ventilators of which two were not functioning. The situation has been alarming as at present over 310 Covid patients are admitted to the hospital.

Anaesthetists and intensive care doctors said they didn’t trust the ventilators sent by the Centre as those functioned for just one or two hours before abruptly running out of order, reported The Tribune.

“We have to be quite attentive while using these ventilators. It’s a challenge as one has to stay near the patient to avoid any problem, which is really difficult under current circumstances,” a doctor was quoted as saying.

“We have raised these issues with the government. We have even conveyed that the quality of the ventilators provided under the PM Cares Fund is significantly inferior. Besides, the functional machines, too, are constantly hit by snags, so we cannot use these for patients until we have a repair mechanism in place, said the Vice Chancellor.

“We want a long-term comprehensive maintenance contract with the agency, which has provided these ventilators,” Dr Bahadur said, adding that despite all these odds, doctors and the paramedical staff at the hospital are trying their best to take care of the patients.