39 ventilators in DH Udhampur, 23 in Reasi lying non-functional for want of staff, oxygen

No CT Scan, Blood Bank facilities at DH Reasi

Govind Sharma

JAMMU, Sept 29: Shocking it may sound but it is true that 39 ventilators received about one month back by District Hospital (DH) Udhampur and 23 by DH Reasi under PM CARES Fund for strengthening COVID facilities, are lying non-functional for want of trained staff and oxygen while the patients in Reasi district have been further suffering due to non-availability of CT Scan and Blood Bank facilities in the district hospital.
Official sources told Excelsior that to help in treatment of COVID patients, Government of India had provided 39 ventilators to DH Udhampur and 23 to DH Reasi around one month back but to the utter dissatisfaction of the public, all these ventilators are still non-functional in these hospitals and the critical patients in need of oxygen are being referred to GMC Jammu.
Sources said that like DH Udhampur and DH Reasi, many other district hospitals, sub-district hospitals and community health centres were provided ventilators by the Government of India under PM CARES Fund but in majority of the hospitals, the ventilators are not operational due to staff crunch and lack of oxygen supply system.
“DH Reasi has neither oxygen manifold nor medical oxygen generation plant in place. While the oxygen manifold already stands sanctioned by the Government, oxygen general plant was sanctioned just few days back,” sources said, adding in these circumstances one cannot even think of making the ventilators functional.
Sources further alleged that DH Reasi lacks important diagnostic facility of CT Scan as well as Blood Bank which are available in almost all the district hospitals. They said in the absence of these important facilities, the DH Reasi has become only a referral hospital and both COVID and non-COVID patients are suffering badly. They further alleged that ultrasound facility is also not available in the hospital for quite some time as the lone radiologist has been shifted to another hospital.
They further informed that DH Udhampur had received 39 ventilators but even a single ventilator has not been made functional. They said the Hospital has only two anesthetists and both are giving 24-hours duty to keep Gynae OT functional as around 12-15 gynae surgeries and 4-5 general surgeries are being performed daily in the hospital. If one of them is spared for operating ventilators, the Gynae OT and other routine surgeries will be affected badly.
“Moreover, like DH Reasi, no oxygen supply system is in place in DH Udhampur but an oxygen manifold is being set up in the hospital which is in its final stages,” sources added.
When contacted, Medical Superintendent (MS), DH Reasi, Dr Rajinder Kumar said that out of 23 ventilators received by them, 15 have been installed in COVID facility of the Hospital while rest have been installed in the ICU. However, he said that in the absence of oxygen manifold/oxygen generation plant, they are unable to make them functional. He said few days back, oxygen generation plant has also been sanctioned by the Government but its installation will take at least 4-5 months.
Regarding unavailability of CT Scan and Blood Bank facilities, Dr Kumar said that the old hospital building did not have space for installation of these facilities but in the new block of the hospital where they had shifted in the year 2015, the provisions has been kept for Blood Bank and CT Scan facilities and they have taken up the issue time and again with the Government but they are yet to give any positive response.
“As far as Ultrasound facility is concerned, it was affected for a short time due to transfer of the lone radiologist of the hospital but few days back the service was restored after Government provided us another radiologist,” Dr Kumar added.
Deputy MS of DH Udhampur, Dr Vijay Raina also admitted that all the 39 ventilators are lying non-functional in the hospital. He said that they have only two anesthetists who are already overburdened with routine gynae and general surgeries and for making these ventilators operational, they need more anesthetists.
He further said that oxygen manifold of the Hospital is in testing stage and whenever it becomes ready to use they will try to make at least 4 ventilators functional with the present strength of anesthetists.

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