DHANGADI, NOVEMBER 18
Ventilators worth millions of rupees bought by the Sudurpaschim Province Government have been stored in various health facilities of the province due to the lack of manpower to operate them and places to install.
The ventilators were bought to facilitate the treatment of COVID patients, but the machines have not been operational due to the lack of expert manpower.
Serious COVID patients are increasing every day in the province. The ICU and ventilators were needed to treat critical COVID patients. However, people have been compelled to either lose their lives or go to another health facility due to delay in installation of the machines.
A meeting of the provincial council of ministers had decided to buy 20 ventilators on April 29. It was also decided to provide machined to Seti Province Hospital, Tikapur Hospital and some hospitals of hilly districts.
The government had bought the ventilators six months after deciding to this effect. The Province Health Supply Management Centre under the Ministry of Social Development had called a tender to supply the ventilators within 60 days on July 13.
Hospitec Enterprises Private Limited, Kathmandu, had taken the 20 ventilators to Dhangadi 83 days after the contract agreement. The contract was signed for Rs 5,650,50,000.
Medical Superintendent Dr Rem Kumar Rai of Tikapur Hospital said they did not have the manpower to install the machine.
“The machine has arrived, but we do not have manpower to install it,” he said. He added that the ventilators were yet to be brought into operation due to lack of experts.
Similarly, Doti District Hospital Management Committee Chairman Yagya Raj Joshi said preparation was under way to operate the machines soon. “But operation of the machine was delayed due to lack of manpower,” he said.
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