According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered an “immediate” audit of the installation and service of ventilators funded by the central government on Saturday.
This comes amid claims that ventilators provided by the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund are going unused in some states, despite the fact that covid-19 patients are gasping for air due to a lack of medical oxygen.
“The Prime Minister took serious note of some reports about ventilators lying unutilized in storage in some states and directed that an immediate audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the central government should be carried out. The Prime Minister added that refresher training for properly operating ventilators should be provided to healthcare workers if necessary,” the statement added.
The government has set aside 2,000 crore from the PM CARES Fund to provide 50,000 ventilators to government-run covid hospitals in states and union territories, according to the government.
The decision was made at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi to address the country’s covid and vaccination situation.
“M/s Bharat Electronics Limited manufactures 30,000 ventilators out of a total of 50,000 ventilators. AgVa Healthcare (10,000), AMTZ Basic (5,650), AMTZ High End (4,000), and Allied Medical (350) are producing the remaining 20,000 ventilators, according to a statement released by the PMO on June 23 last year.
The government has come under fire for mishandling the second surge, with superspreader activities like political protests and the Kumbh Mela exacerbating an already-emerging unparalleled health crisis. Health oxygen, medications, vaccines, and hospital and ICU beds are in short supply in India.
PM Modi issued a warning on Friday about the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in rural areas, as a second wave raged through the world.
In rural India, compared to the first wave in 2020, the second wave this year has seen a significant increase in the number of infections and deaths. Rural regions are home to about 65 percent of the country’s 1.3 billion people.
