‘Fake’ ventilators leave Gujarat model gasping for breath

‘PVT FIRM’S BREATHING APPARATUS NOT WHAT ONE WOULD TERM A HIGH-END VENTILATOR’

NEW DELHI/ AHMEDABAD: Authorities in the civil hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s worst Coronavirus-hit city, have said ventilators built by a firm in Rajkot and supplied free of cost in large numbers to government facilities last month were not giving “desired results” on COVID19 patients.

State Health Principal Secretary Jayanti Ravi said the ventilators, with the brand name ‘Dhaman-1’, supplied at a time when there is a huge demand for them due to the virus outbreak, will be upgraded by the manufacturing firm.

Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent JV Modi had written to the managing director of Gandhinagar-based Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Limited (GMSCL) for 50 ‘high-end’ ICU ventilators for the 1,200-bed COVID19 facility, the largest of its kind in the state.

The letter comes at a time when the hospital has been given 230 ‘Dhaman-1’ ventilators, which a doctor here said cannot be termed ‘high end’.

Quoting the head of the anaesthesia department of the BJ Medical College, affiliated to the Civil Hospital, Modi said, in the letter dated May 15, that they are not getting “desired result” from Dhaman-1 and AGVA ventilators (both indigenously produced) on COVID-19 patients.

“We have placed a demand for 50 highend ICU ventilators each for COVID Hospital and Kidney Hospital. With rising Coronavirus cases, we need more number of ventilators, as per the demand received by the head of anaesthesia department,” Modi said.

Amid a global shortage of high-end ventilators during the outbreak, Rajkotbased Jyoti CNC Automation had developed low-cost ventilators in just 10 days in early April, and offered 1,000 pieces free-of-cost to the state government under CSR.

These ventilators were supplied to government hospitals across the state to meet rising demand, Principal Secretary (Health), Jayanti Ravi said.

“The ventilator was tested and approved by Electronics and Quality Development Centre (EQDC). Our expert doctors also approved it,” Ravi said.

She said accessories like high-flow nasal cannula, oxygen flow meter, circuits and humidifier would be incorporated in them to make them more effective, she said. Civil Hospital Head of anaesthesia Shailesh Shah said Dhaman-1 ventilator in its present form is not as good as what one would term a “high-end ventilator”.