Last Updated on May 17, 2021 at 12:44 pm
Health and Medical Education Department bought 400 ventilators when first wave of Coronavirus was going on but it is still not known to anyone where these ventilators are installed now.
Order for 400 ventilators was placed on 28 March 2020 according to a letter of Managing Director of Medical Supply Corporation Jammu. Sources informed that when first wave of coronavirus was going on last year then government authorities spent Rs 240.10 crores on purchasing various equipment in order to ‘contain the spread of deadly virus.
Even after spending such a huge among of money on purchasing equipment, government healthcare system completely collapsed during the current second wave of the virus. According to sources in the Health Department, after procurement of these ventilators, some of these were sent to remote areas without sending technical staff.
Most of these ventilators are idly lying in hospitals of remote areas because government authorities in Health Department couldn’t recruit trained staff to operate them. Health department spent a large sum of money in procuring these equipments last year from the funds allocated to J&K UT under the PM Care scheme.
These ventilators are functioning only in some health centres of Poonch and Rajouri. Sources say that they are lying purposelessly in other places because of non-availability of technical staff to handle these machines. Other than 400 ventilators, department has also purchased 4000 portable oxygen concentrators which are also not available for patients.
