Jammu, June 16: A central government-appointed six-member audit team has castigated the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu for being “unable to properly utilise” 55 available ventilators at the health facility during the recent second wave of Covid-19.
The audit team, which has submitted a report to the government, came to this conclusion after they analysed installation, commissioning and operation of ventilators. These are the ventilators provided by the central government to fight the pandemic.
The team in its report has picked holes in functioning of GMC Jammu for utilisation of ventilators and suggested several measures.
“Of 99 ventilators, 28 ventilators were non-functional, while power back-up is yet to be installed with ventilators as the concerned firm supplied it late to the hospital” the audit team report said.
With regard to the ventilators that were installed but rendered dysfunctional due to some faults, the report has said that “28 oxygen sensors needed to be replaced” while pointing out that the maximum problems in ventilators was about their ‘service/repair.’
“In such as case a complaint needs to be registered by the hospital authority to the firm,” the audit team said while advising the GMC Jammu administration. However, the hospital authorities as per the audit team has claimed that they called the service provider to resolve the issue but to no avail.
The report of the audit team further says that GMC Jammu had been provided oxygen and medical air supply with adequate pressure. “However, they (hospital) are not using medical air but using compressors only” the report added. The hospital authorities in the report have been advised to request the concerned firm to provide adequate training to hospital staff in order to operate ventilators.
Pertinently, GMC Jammu had received 10 ventilators from SMGS Jammu and 29 from Directorate Health Services, Jammu. Besides, 34 ventilators were also installed at the Government MCH Covid Hospital, Gandhi Nagar.
It may be mentioned that the officials in the audit team comprised of Assistant Drugs Controller (I) CDSCO, Bharti Bachloo; Medical Superintendent, GMC and Hospital, Jammu, Dr ADS Manhas; STO-RBD-HLL, J&K, Ladakh, Manish K Rai; representative of M/S Bharat Electronics Limited, Mithlesh Kumar; OT Technician, representative DGHS, Amit Kumar and Head of Department, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Dr Smriti Gulati.