Even as several parts of the state are reeling under an acute shortage of critical care facilities for Covid-19 patients, 32 ventilators are gathering dust at the upcoming Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mohali.
The ventilators were received nine months ago under PM-Cares Fund, but the institute itself has not been made operational yet. Punjab government had planned to start the first academic session from 2021, but it was delayed due to the Covid-induced lockdown.
Principal Dr Bhavneet Bharti said, “We received 32 ventilators under PM-Cares Fund, but we cannot use these until we make the college operational. We are waiting for a team of the National Medical Council to visit for inspection, which was due in March. We will get a go-ahead only after inspection.”
It may be recalled that on Thursday, Hindustan Times had reported how eight ventilators, which the civil hospital in Phase-6 had bought around eight months ago were lying unused due to lack of infrastructure and staff to operate it. The next day, hospital authorities had handed over the ventilators to two private hospitals in Mohali.
Member of Parliament Manish Tewari said, “In such trying times when people need critical care, ventilators are lying unused. I will take up the matter with the authorities concerned.”
{{/usCountry}}Member of Parliament Manish Tewari said, “In such trying times when people need critical care, ventilators are lying unused. I will take up the matter with the authorities concerned.”
{{/usCountry}}Mohali has emerged as a medical tourism destination with 30 private hospitals, having top-class facilities, catering to patients from the region. These currently have 256 ventilator beds, of which 251 were occupied, as on Sunday. Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, “We will be making the BR Ambedkar Medical College operational soon. We are trying to have some ICU beds in government hospitals too.”
Om Parkash Soni, minister of medical education and research, Punjab, said, “We are coming up with 100 more beds at three medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot. We will use these ventilators there.”