PM orders Audit of Ventilators provided by the Centre

On May 15, 2021, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered an audit of ventilators provided by the Central Government to the State Government and the Union Territories.

Why the audit?

It has come to the notice of the PM that several ventilators issued to the States are lying in the storage unutilized. Thus, an audit is being launched to check the installation and operation of the ventilators. The Prime Minister has also suggested that proper training should be provided to the health workers in operating the ventilators.

What is the issue?

The Punjab Government has been complaining that out of 320 ventilators received under the PM CARES Fund, 237 are defective.

The Maharashtra Congress Spokesperson was claiming that there is a big scam in the ventilator provided under PM-CARES Fund.

There have been several media reports that the ventilators have technical glitches.

There are accusations that the technical complaints after installation are not been resolved due to poor after-sales support by the manufacturers.

There are reports that the bacteria fillers, flow sensors and HME filters are not being changed by the hospital authorities as per the prescribed norms.

Lack of knowledge

The user manual, detailed instructions and guidelines have been issued along with the ventilator. However, the hospital workers are not able to follow the usage instructions.

Help from Health Ministry

The Health Ministry had created state-wise WhatsApp groups with the concerned nodal officers. Through this group the ministry is passing information about the usage and is answering the queries being raised. Still the issue remains unsorted.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2021