Govt must share data of unused ventilators: Kalia

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 3

BJP leader and former health and family welfare minister, Punjab, Manoranjan Kalia today questioned the state government how many ventilators were lying unused in the state and whether the private hospitals in the state will charge ventilator rent from patients on ventilators given to them for free by the government.

Commenting upon the decision of the Punjab Government to distribute ventilators purchased by it last year to private hospitals Kalia questioned whether the private hospitals will charge the rent of ventilators from the patients.

Kalia said the ventilators were given to private hospitals for them to use these in view of the paucity of manpower, especially anaesthetis, at government facilities.

In a release issued here today, Kalia demanded, “Punjab Government must spell out the number of ventilators “in-use” in the hospitals and “not in-use” lying in the store unpacked. Also how many ventilators have been sent by Centre government and purchased by Punjab government and remained unused. When the 290 ventilators sent by Modi Government, remained unused, why the 809 ventilators were purchased by the Punjab Government and the public exchequer’s money wasted unnecessarily? Or if the 809 ventilators already stand purchased by Punjab government, why did the Punjab Government not refuse to accept the 290 ventilators sent by Modi Government so that it could be utilised for the needy state? Because in both the situations, the medical manpower to operate the ventilators is not available.”