Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 12: Ventilators in Shri Maharaja Ghulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital have been gathering dust for the last nearly one month, owing to failure of hospital authorities to find space to keep it. Moreover, the Deputy Superintendent of SMGS hospital and Principal of Government Medical College (GMC) and Hospital, have been contradicting each other over the exact number of ventilators.
Principal of GMC hospital, Ghanshyam Dev Gupta told Early Times that they had provided four ventilators to SMGS hospital nearly a month back and the administration had been searching space for setting them, so that same would be made functional.
"As soon as the space is identified, the ventilators will become functional", he said, adding he was concerned that two ventilators might be dysfunctional but didn't know the exact condition of same ventilators, which were repaired or replaced.
Pertinently, the SMGS hospital, caters to huge influx as around 1,200 patients visit the OPDs of the hospital on routine basis while, 100 patients are admitted to various wards. "Deliveries and major or minor operations are performed, but the non-functioning of the ventilator, raises questions on hospital administration", an official of SMGS told Early Times.
Contesting claims of Principal, Deputy Superintendent of SMGS hospital, Dr Dara Singh said that they had received five ventilators from GMC hospital nearly a month back and the two non-functional ventilators have been repaired. He also claimed that at present the hospital had seven ventilators and all were working properly.
GMC sources said that after receiving four ventilators, the hospital has total six ventilators but still pediatric and gynecology ward of the SMGS hospital have been running with defunct ventilators.
An official says that due to non-functioning of life-saving equipment people are left with no choice but to shift their patients to overburdened GMC hospital or private nursing homes. |
