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| 39 ventilators turn defunct in absence of staff at Udhampur hospital | | | Ashwani Sharma
Early times report
Udhampur, Sept 26: Thirty nine new ventilators worth Rs 2 crore provided to District Hospital Udhampur from Prime Minister’s Relief Fund are defunct in COVID times due to absence of trained and professionals to operate and handle these vital life saving machines.
“All these equipments are vital in the time of COVID and are essentially needed but in absence of trained staff to handle these equipments all these have turned useless,” sources told Early Times.
Insiders said that as on date Dr Vinod, Dr Deepak, Dr Balvinder and few others including the paramedical staff are managing the show by working 24x7. “Due to the extraordinary efforts of these warriors the hospital is handling the patients as the hospital is a designated COVID hospital in the area but no proper staff being available to operate ventilators is a major concern for everyone,” insiders added. .
The medicos carrying on the extra tasks also manage Out Patients Departments (OPDs) besides keeping the operation theatre operational for the general public.
“In case if number of COVID-19 patients increase we will be helpless due to insufficient staff and absence of trained ventilator operators and the system may collapse then,” a doctor in the hospital informed.
“Shortage of staff including consultants, anesthesia doctor and paramedical staff in the hospital since very long is a matter of grave concern,” the sources maintained.
Sources in the medical department informed that there are about 44 functional ventilators at Government Medical College Jammu with about 200 staffers including doctors.
“How can Udhampur hospital manage 39 ventilators and oxygen plant without any trained staff?” they asked.
Some experts opined that in such urgencies some of the staffers including doctors, anesthesia specialists from GMC Jammu and other institutions and offices of Health Department should be sent to the areas, where staff is required.
Sources also informed that two day back Health and Medical Education Department transferred a doctor who is MS Surgery from CM security to PHC Majalta as CM house is vacant these days and there is no need of a doctor there. This doctor enjoyed three years at CM’s house till the Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Atal Dulloo transferred him and an anesthesia doctor from there.
Experts also opined that the government should employ staff even on deputation basis from other States if the same is not available locally or creates new posts.
Few days back a Congress leader from Udhampur had raised the issue of a patient from Ramnagar who visited Udhampur hospital and died there as there was no ventilator.
However, sources informed that ventilators are at Ramnagar and Chenani hospitals but the problem is that there is no one to operate these machines in such hospitals.
Panthers Party leader, Balwant Singh Mankotia when contacted said, “There is utter mismanagement by the government in dealing with the health institutions. COVID is spreading at an alarming pace. If ventilators are not made functional within week it can lead to a catastrophe.”|
Director Health Services, Renu Sharma when contacted said the ventilators given to DH Udhampur are portable and don’t need extra staff and the existing staff can be trained to run these machines.
She also said that the ventilators were given to Uhampur as a medical college is proposed for the district.
She also said critical cases are referred to level one hospitals which are not that far from Udhampur.
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