Delhi government hospitals: ‘Deadly’ ventilators at your service, sir!

As many as 125 new ventilators purchased for Delhi government hospitals for Rs 9 crore may risk lives of several patients as a power cut could lead to snapping of oxygen, an expert committee had warned. The three-member panel's concerns, that were ignored, find mention in an audit report of Delhi government accessed by DNA.

These ventilators replaced the old ambu bags that were used for manual ventilation and had led to several deaths in the Capital. The panel from Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) had suggested that the ventilators cannot be used in case of turbine or air failure, and opined that it is not safe to use such ventilators in the best interest of patient care.

This means, if any government hospital in the Capital faces a power cut, and the generators take a gap to function, these ventilators will not be able to provide critical oxygen supply to the patients. The audit report has raised serious questions over the purchase of these machines by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA). The agency is already facing charges of financial irregularities highlighted by the vigilance department.

The audit report said that the bids evaluation committee as well as the director of CPA did not consider the observations made by the DEAN, MAMC and placed the order of supply of the ventilators. The committee report further explained that the ventilators for which the bidders have offered to supply the external UPS (battery back-up) may be used as an alternative. According to the health officials, the compressor-based ventilators, for which bidders have offered to supply the external UPS, may be an alternation.