Karnataka receives 681 ventilators under PM Cares fund

“Of these, 335 (including 166 in Bengaluru) have already been added to hospitals to be used to assist COVID-19 patients in need of the same. The remaining 346 ventilators will be installed by the end of this week,” officials apprised Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

The chief minister directed the officials that all ventilators should be installed immediately, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) mentioned.

“The CM also directed to appoint necessary staff like anesthetics, paramedics, and nurses who are required to utilise these ventilators immediately. Officials have been directed to consider the requests of private hospitals in Bengaluru for ventilators on a temporary basis for COVID purposes and to decide on the terms and conditions,” the statement issued by the Karnataka CMO read.

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Karnataka CM B S Yediyurappa was admitted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru after he tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday. (Credits: Karnataka DIPR)

In June, the state had sought 1,300 ventilators from the Centre. A month later, the state received 630 ventilators sponsored by the PM Cares Fund. However, health officials had decided to evaluate the efficiency of the devices, following reports of certain purchases not measuring up to the necessary standards for COVID patients at some hospitals in Mumbai and Delhi.

When asked why ventilator distribution to hospitals took almost a month’s time, a top official from the state health department told indianexpress.com, “The process of allocating ventilators to various hospitals in the state takes place only after a thorough quality assessment by an expert committee. This is done to ensure no patient is harmed due to faulty machines.”

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With 74,469 active cases, Karnataka is third on the list of states with the highest active caseload, behind only Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The state’s total COVID-19 cases stand at cumulative 1,39,571.