Ventilators worth Rs20m go to waste

RAWALPINDI: Nineteen ventilators bought at a cost of Rs20 million for Holy Family and Benazir Bhutto Hospital have been out-of-order ever since their installation.

The ventilators were set up at both hospitals a few months ago and but have not been functioning ever since. The administrators of Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital said they complained many times to Dr Mussadiq Khan, the former principal executive officer of Allied Hospitals Rawalpindi. These complaints were forwarded to the manufacturing company, but no action was taken. To investigate the matter, Professor Dr Afzal Farooqi, the new principal executive officer, has constituted an inquiry committee.

The committee found that a technical member of a body, which was formed before the ventilators were bought, had opposed their purchase. But his opinion was not taken into account. The body still went ahead and bought the ventilators, which not only caused financial loss to the government, but also created problems for many patients. “The ventilators must be replaced and new ones should be purchased from a company of good repute,” the report stated. The inquiry report has been sent to Dr Farooqi.