Ventilators in a’bad: Cong alleges scam; health ministry refutes claims

Citing the hospital’s report, the Maharashtra Congress alleged that ventilators supplied to the Aurangabad Government Medical College and Hospital were useless and of substandard quality

Citing the hospital’s report, the Maharashtra Congress alleged that ventilators supplied to the Aurangabad Government Medical College and Hospital were useless and of substandard quality.

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Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant called it a scam, saying all efforts were being made to save the accused firm from Gujarat which supplied these ventilators. The Union health ministry has refuted the allegations, saying the ventilators were not funded under the PM Care Fund.

The Aurangabad Government Medical College’s committee formed to investigate the matter gave the following observations. “100 ventilators had arrived in the hospital on April 12 this year. The engineers who had come on that day were able to install just one ventilator which again was found not suitable to be used for patients. After that they installed 25 ventilators on April 18 in the ICU. However, these were found to be faulty as the patients were not getting enough oxygen supply from them and hence were not of much help to the patients. After that the engineers came again on April 23 and tried to start two machines in the ICU but they too failed,” it stated.

Sawant, quoting the report, said it was shameful that when the state is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, such incidents were taking place. “The company had no experience in making ventilators and still was given the contract just because of its links with the BJP,” said Sawant. He has demanded a joint audit by the central and state government and inquiry by the state government.

He said that 58 machines have been opened and are lying idle while 37 were still to be opened.

The Union Health Ministry’s statement on Friday said: “Ventilators manufactured by Jyoti CNC were supplied to Aurangabad Medical College. Jyoti CNC is one of the manufacturers of Make in India Ventilators. They have supplied ventilators centrally for Covid-19 management, as per the directions of Empowered Group-3. These ventilators were then made available to states as per their requests. This supplier is not funded under PM CARES fund.”

Sawant called the whole statement misleading. “If the state did not pay, how come these ventilators came,” asked Sawant.

The BJP has refuted the allegations saying it has become a fashion to blame the central government. “The Maharashtra government is unable to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and it has become a fashion to blame the central government for all its shortcomings. The central government is extending maximum help but the state is ungrateful,” said BJP legislator Ram Kadam.