The RTI findings submitted by Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh revealed that one-third of ventilators, one of the essential equipment, in leading government hospitals in Delhi are now lying defunct.
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As per the latest media report by India Today, the RTI response revealed that MAMC, Lok Nayak, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Sushruta Trauma Centre have 297 ventilators combined, and 92 among them are non-functional, which is 31 per cent of the total. Further, the findings revealed that both Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital have only one functional MRI machine each.
The issue regarding faulty ventilators is most acute at Lok Nayak Hospital, as more than 70 ventilators across departments like Anaesthesia, Medicine, and Paediatrics are currently out of order. Both Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital and Lok Nayak Hospital each have only one functional MRI machine, revealed the RTI.
On the other hand, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital has reported that all its 25 ICU ventilators are functional and Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital has reported having just one faulty ventilator out of 13.
The most concerning finding is that a high number of PM CARES ventilators, which were provided during the pandemic under the Prime Minister's Relief Fund, are non-functional. According to the findings, at least 41 of these ventilators are defunct, and some wards have entire sets of PM-CARES ventilators out of service.
For instance, none of the 12 ventilators are working in Ward 32 of Lok Nayak Hospital, and all eight are non-functional in Ward 31. The RTI findings revealed that the files for Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMC) have not been sent for these units.
In the case of MAMC, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaceology has reported high functionality of these machines as 39 out of 41 ventilators (95) per cent) are working. The ICU at Sushruta Trauma Centre has 12 out of 14 ventilators (86 per cent) functional.
In stark contrast, the Main Casualty and Emergency Units have only two out of seven ventilators (29 percent) working. Similarly, the Emergency ICU on the ground floor, which is one of the most critical care areas, has 11 of its 21 defunct ventilators, leaving only 48 per cent operational capacity.
Altogether, 7 out of 31 ventilators (77 percent functional) in the Paediatrics Department are reported to be non-functional and 14 out of 25 ventilators (44 per cent functional) are defunct at the Medicine Department's CCU. Wards 27–32 of the Medicine department are the worst affected as 41 out of 67 ventilators (39 per cent functional) are not working.
Both ventilators in the casualty unit at Sushruta Trauma Centre are functional, and its ICU has 14 ventilators, with 2 non-functional (86 per cent functional).
Lal Bahadu Shastri Hospital has a better rate of functional ventilators as the ICU has all nine ventilators functional and the Paediatrics Department has only one out of four ventilators defunct (75 per cent functional).
Response from Delhi Health Minister:
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh took note of the report and thanked AajTak/India Today for filing the RTI and being aware of the healthcare facilities in Delhi. However, the Minister said that all ventilators are operational at these hospitals, with a few being kept as a backup. He also added that some of the ventilators may not be working temporarily.
Commenting on the matter, the Minister told India Today, "Our latest report shows that out of a total of 74 ventilators in LNJP Hospital, 69 are fully functional. In the Trauma Centre, all six ventilators are working, and 18 are kept as backup. The few non-functional ones will be repaired soon."
"Upon verification with the hospitals, I found that all ventilators are operational, with some kept in reserve as backups. There may be some ventilators temporarily not working, but I invite you to visit the hospitals with me and see the situation first hand," Minister Singh added.
He further claimed that everything is properly documented and the functionality of ventilators has been recorded, adding that there might be discrepancies on paper, but not on the ground. He further emphasised that Delhi's healthcare system has witnessed significant improvement since the BJP government came to power.
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