E-Paper
Pune to get 165 ventilators in next three to four days
Maharashtra will get 1,121 ventilators from the Centre. Of these ventilators coming from neighbouring states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, 165 will be given to Pune district
As the non-availability of ventilator beds continued in Pune on Saturday, Pune district administration is looking forward to getting 165 additional ventilators in the next three to four days.
Following the Covid review meeting for Pune district, Union minister Prakash Javadekar announced Maharashtra will get 1,121 ventilators from the Centre in the next three-four days.
Of these 1,121 ventilators coming from neighbouring states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, 165 will be given to the Pune district.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar clarified that the ventilators will first come to Mumbai and then will be distributed in the state.
“I have spoken to all the concerned ministers and officials at the Centre. As many as 1,121 ventilators will be made available in Maharashtra in the next three to four days. Out of these, 700 are coming from Gujrat and 421 from Andhra Pradesh. The human resource required for this will be funded by the central government from national health missions,” said Javadekar.
Pune has been facing an acute crisis of ventilator beds and various options to increase the availability of ventilators and other health infrastructures were discussed in the meeting. According to the data on the Pune division dashboard, no ventilator beds were available in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits on Saturday.
Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao said that he has demanded 165 ventilators for the Pune district and the administration is also focusing on increasing testing and contact tracing.
“On Friday we conducted almost 43,000 tests in Pune district. In the last few days, the positivity rate has come down to 20 per cent. With the increase in beds we are also focusing on vaccination, testing and tracing,” he said.
Currently, 30 central teams are in Maharashtra to review the Covid situation. Pawar, who was part of the review meeting, said considering the rate of Covid infection the central team has advised him to emphasise increasing ventilator beds, oxygen beds and oxygen supply.
“Our district and municipal administration is trying to increase these facilities. The chief minister of Maharashtra raised the issue of oxygen availability with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video conference meeting on Friday (March 9). There is an oxygen plant in Alibaug owned by Jindal. They have assured us that we will supply as per our need. A private company has given expensive oxygen generating machine to Sassoon hospital,” Pawar said.
“Increase bed capacity at jumbo Covid centres”
During the Covid review meeting, deputy chief minister Ait Pawar said, “Administration should increase beds capacity at jumbo Covid centres in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. At the same time, the plan is to increase Sassoon’s bed capacity up to 500.”
Currently, the jumbo facility at COEP is operating at 600 beds and it can expand up to 800 beds.
