Ranchi Sadar Hospital Ventilator Shortage: PM CARES Fund Machines Idle, Patients Referred

Ranchi: A shortage of functional ventilators at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi has forced doctors to refer critically ill patients to other facilities after 75 ventilators supplied under the PM CARES Fund lying unused.Only five ventilators are operational, causing inconvenience to patients requiring advanced respiratory support.The hospital was planned as a 500-bed superspecialty facility. With the addition of departments and services, its capacity has increased to over 800 beds.An official said, “Though dozens of ventilators were supplied to the hospital through the PM CARES Fund during Covid-19, they have not been made functional. If such life-saving equipment remains idle for long periods, there is also a risk of technical deterioration, rendering them unusable and resulting in a loss of valuable public resources.”With only five ventilators available for critical care, patients are regularly referred to private or other govt hospitals. Meena Kumari, an attendant of a patient, said, “The unavailability not only delays treatment in emergency situations but also puts additional financial burden on patients and their families, many of whom are unable to afford costly private healthcare.”Ranchi civil surgeon Prabhat Kumar said, “The existing ventilators do not meet the current requirement of the hospital. The available ventilators lack the capacity we need. A proposal was sent to the department for the procurement of new ventilators. A meeting would be convened soon to review the condition of the existing machines and seek support from the state health department for their replacement.”Sadar Hospital intended to purchase 20 ventilators in the first phase , he added.