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:

1. Mayo Hospital, Lahore: 42 out of 170 ventilators inactive
2. Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital, Sialkot: 25 out of 34 ventilators inactive
3. Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi: 20 out of 71 ventilators inactive
4. General Hospital, Lahore: 47 out of 129 ventilators inactive
5. Services Hospital, Lahore: 46 out of 99 ventilators inactive
6. 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.

Meanwhile. the Islamabad district administration reported 28 new dengue cases during the past 24 hours while conducting inspections at 24,603 sites as part of its ongoing citywide anti-dengue campaign.

According to a spokesperson for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, the drive has been intensified to curb the spread of dengue across both urban and rural areas. Surveillance and preventive operations were carried out in homes, public spaces, and open areas to detect and eliminate mosquito breeding sites.

During the inspections, field teams conducted spray operations at 179 houses and fogging at 652 sites across the capital. The report confirmed that out of the 28 new cases, 15 patients were identified in rural areas and 13 in urban sectors, with 16 patients shifted to hospitals for medical treatment.

Larva detection surveys revealed dengue larvae at 430 sites, while four locations tested negative. Following these findings, the administration intensified fogging and spraying activities, especially in high-risk areas flagged through surveillance data.