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Mumbai: Congress state spokesperson Sachin Sawan alleged that the 150 ventilators delivered to the Government Medical College & Hospital Aurangabad under the PM CARES fund were faulty and sought its replacement.
He cited a report from the hospital to support the allegation. According to the 3-page report by GMCH, the hospital was given 150 ventilators under the PM Cares Fund (PMCF) for Covid-19 patients of whom 100 Dhaman III models were supplied by Jyoti CNC on April 12.
However, the ventilators were found to be unfit for treatment of extremely critical Covid patients after installation and testing.
Although the company's representatives, Sahdev Guchkund and Kalpesh came and installed 25 ventilators after six days, all of them proved to be defective the very next day, April 20.
Sawant claimed that the report stated how the ventilators were not supplying oxygen to the desired levels making it difficult for the Covid patients to breathe, and consequently their oxygen levels were dropping, posing risks to their lives.
The company officials were informed but they left without giving any service report, a team of engineers came after three days, repaired two ventilators which again broke down and were removed from the ICU, even as Congress cried foul and demanded an inquiry-cum-audit into the matter.
The service engineers failed to come despite repeated reminders, after which the hospital prepared a report and on May 13-14, Jyoti CNC's officials, Rajesh Roy and Ashutosh Gadgil came and two ventilators were repaired but crashed soon after.
"By giving sub-standard ventilators, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only wasted public money but played with the lives of the people. Hence our demand of a joint-audit and probe by the Maharashtra government was correct," Sawant pointed out.
Sawant said that some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were now trying to shift the blame on the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, but the GMCH report has exposed them as they tried to protect the Jyoti CNC which is close to some BJP leaders.
The prime minister has ordered an audit of the installation and operations of ventilators provided under the PMCF after Sawant raised the issue last month, on May 15.
Of the 150 ventilators supplied by Jyoti CNC, 58 were installed and all are lying unused despite repairs, the company has not even started installing another 37 ventilators, and the balance 55 were distributed to hospitals in Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad and Hingoli, as per the GMCH report.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had taken a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday by comparing him to ventilators funded by PM Cares fund saying both had "too much false PR", "don't do their respective jobs" and were "nowhere in sight when needed".
"There's a lot common between PMCares ventilator and the PM himself: too much false PR, don't do their respective jobs, nowhere in sight when needed!" Mr Gandhi tweeted.
The tweet comes after Maharashtra and Punjab had raised concerns about the faulty ventilators provided to them.