Why Are Many Ventilators Non-Functional in Punjab’s Hospitals?
APP
Lahore: The Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education has directed the Medical Superintendents (MSs) of six government teaching hospitals to urgently address the issue of non-functional ventilators in their Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and submit a report within 24 hours.
A formal notification issued by the Health Department emphasized the critical need to resolve the issue. It highlighted the availability of a Biomedical Engineering (BME) portal designed to support development and procurement processes for government hospitals. Teaching hospitals are required to update this portal with data on a daily basis.
According to official details, the affected hospitals and their non-functional ventilators include:
- Mayo Hospital, Lahore: 42 out of 170 ventilators inactive
- Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital, Sialkot: 25 out of 34 ventilators inactive
- Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi: 20 out of 71 ventilators inactive
- General Hospital, Lahore: 47 out of 129 ventilators inactive
- Services Hospital, Lahore: 46 out of 99 ventilators inactive
- Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology: 4 out of 42 ventilators inactive
The Health Department has instructed all MSs to take immediate steps to ensure that these ventilators are made operational without delay and to submit a compliance report within the stipulated time frame.
