The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court noted that at least 113 of 150 ventilators provided to the hospitals in Marathwada region of Maharashtra through the PM Cares Fund were ‘dysfunctional’.
Yesterday on May 25, in a suo motu petition on COVID19 management, the High Court observed “If the PM cares fund [Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund] is to be used for providing ventilators, it should be ventilators worthy of medical use, and if they are not worthy of medical use, it’s just a box.”
Ventilators have emerged as a crucial weapon in the fight against coronavirus, which affects the respiratory system of those who test positive. In extreme cases, the patients are required to be put on a ventilator for breathing support.
Chief Public Prosecutor DR Kale informed the court that out of 150 ventilators, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) received 17 units, 41 were given to five private hospitals in Aurangabad and 55 were distributed to other districts through the PM Cares Fund. After 113 ventilators were found defective, the remaining 37 ventilators were not unboxed, the court was informed.
Terming this as a ‘quite serious’ issue, the bench said: “Ventilators are believed to be lifesaving instruments and malfunctioning can put lives of patients in danger.”
“Let the Government realise they had supplied inferior quality ventilators, let them go back and replace them with certain good quality ventilators,” said the bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and DU Bebadwar.
The bench directed Assistant Solicitor General Ajay G Talhar to inform the court what measures the central government will take against the supplier and the remedial action to be taken in order to address the issue. The court adjourned the hearing to May 28.
