PM Modi orders audit of ventilators provided by Union government

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday ordered an "immediate" audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the central government, according to a statement from Prime Minister’s Office.

This comes against the backdrop of reports about ventilators supplied under Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund lying unutilized in some states, even as covid-19 patients are gasping for breath due to medical oxygen shortage.

According to the government, PM CARES Fund has allocated ₹2,000 crore for supplying 50,000 ventilators in government-run covid hospitals in states and Union territories.

“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 decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by PM Modi to discuss the covid and vaccination related situation in India.

“Out of the 50,000 ventilators, 30,000 ventilators are being manufactured by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited. The remaining 20,000 ventilators are being manufactured by AgVa Healthcare (10,000), AMTZ Basic (5,650), AMTZ High End (4,000) and Allied Medical (350),” the PMO said in a 23 June statement last year.

The government has been facing increasing criticism over its mishandling of the second wave, with superspreader events, such as political rallies and Kumbh Mela, exacerbating an unfolding unprecedented health crisis. India is facing an acute shortage of medical oxygen, medicines, vaccines, and hospital and ICU beds.

PM Modi on Friday had warned about the spread of coronavirus pandemic in rural areas, against the backdrop of a second wave raging across the country.

Compared with the first wave in 2020, the second wave this year has sea rapid rise in the number of infections and deaths in rural India. An estimated 65% of the country’s 1.3 billion population lives in rural areas.