Even though the Karnataka government has received praise from all quarters including the central government for its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, the ventilators in the state remain a cause of concern.
As per the officials from the state, the state had requested the central government for 1,300 ventilators but has only received 90 so far. For a disease like COVID-19, ventilators are crucial especially when the state is witnessing a significant rise in the number of cases and the number of deaths. The COVID-19 disease especially affects the lungs and the breathing of the patient.
Ever since the first case was reported in the month of March, the state government had asked the center for 1,500 ventilators through the state drug logistics department. While 1,300 was supposed to come from the union government, the rest was scheduled to be acquired from the private sector. As of today i.e. 22nd June, the state has received only 158 ventilators out of which 90 came from Hindustan Lifecare, 40 came from Skanray, and 28 others from small vendors; all of which are private entities. Hindustan Lifecare is also due to supply 1,000 ventilators more.
74 Patients in ICU
The numbers were confirmed by the Karnataka State Drug Logistics and Warehousing Society. According to Dr. Om Prakash Patil, the Director of the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department, the ventilators acquired now has not been used as the number of cases requiring ventilators is low in the state currently. Among the 3,170 active cases in the state, only 74 patients are in the Intensive Care Units and patients requiring ventilators are much less. He spoke to the media and said,
“We have started receiving the ventilators which were in the pipeline already. We will get another 500 ventilators shortly. But at present, the utilization of ventilators is very less. Many might require oxygen supplies. Right now, this is not a reason for worry. But we are working to get them as fast as possible.”
Currently, the state has 999 ventilator beds spread across all hospitals. The capital city of Bengaluru has 265 ventilators while Bengaluru rural has only three. Many districts in North Karnataka and Coastal Karnataka ill-equipped.
Source: The News Minute
