Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 30: A media report has claimed that 1,800 ventilators supplied by the central government under PM Cares Fund to the state are lying unused. This has happened at a time when hospitals in Karnataka are faced with a dearth of oxygen and ventilators.

As per a report by The Times of India, the centre had supplied 3,200 ventilators to the state under the PM Cares Fund during the first wave of coronavirus. Out of them, only 1,400 have been put to use.

After the first wave hit the country, about 2,000 ventilators had come while the others were supplied during the second wave, the newspaper said, based on statements made by health department officials.

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Till the second wave spread terror in the state this year, only about 150 ventilators had been put to use. The remaining 1,400 ventilators were distributed to hospitals a few months back, the report said.

Because of the shortage of technicians, doctors, nurses, anaesthetists etc the other 1,800 ventilators were lying unused in hospitals. Some of the ventilators are not working because of technical snags, the report added.

Speaking on the matter, Mysuru deputy commissioner Rohini Sindhuri told ToI, "We are making the best use of ventilators supplied under PM Cares Fund. We have used 300 ventilators in government and private hospitals in Mysuru."

One other deputy commissioner clarifying the reason for ventilators lying underutilised said, "They are lying idle since other ICU equipment such as multichannel monitor, infusion and suction pumps and de-simulation units were not supplied." Ventilators are useless in many hospitals since they don't have the required ICU cots. Reports from other districts are not encouraging, the report stated.

Dr MK Sudarshan, chairman, Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee has stated that the primary reason for ventilators lying idle is the lack of trained staff as a ventilator unit needs two doctors, two anaestheticians and three nurses. He further informed that now the DCs have been asked to hire doctors and other staff locally on contract after which the situation has been getting better.

As of Friday, 599 of the 620 ventilator beds in BBMP limits were occupied. Officials said the list excludes those which have not been used yet.