Fake: No defect ventilators supplied by Centre to Delhi’s Lok Nayak hospital

New Delhi, July 01: Every day we come across various coronavirus related information through social media posts or WhatsApp forwards. Sadly, a chunk of it turns out to be misleading information which does nothing but add on to the panic among people. However, an article in Indian Express claims that the ventilators provided by the Govt of India to Delhi's LNJP Hospital don't have the BiPAP mode.

Lok Nayak Hospital, the city's biggest Covid-only facility, has alleged that the 175 ventilators that it received from the Centre lack an important mode, The Indian Express had reported on Wednesday.

The hospital staff told the Directorate General of Health Services that the ventilators did not have a Bilevel positive airway pressure or BiPAP mode, which allows doctors to supply oxygen to patients without inserting tubes in their airway. The hospital asked the government to provide 250 more ventilators equipped with the technology.

However, the newly-introduced fact-checking wing of Press Information Bureau (PIB) termed the media reports "incorrect". According to PIB fact check team, ''These made in India ventilators have BiPAP mode & other such modes as have been prescribed in the technical specifications.''

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, had said that these low-cost "Made in India" ventilators were equipped with the necessary technology.
"Ventilator models BEL and AgVa supplied to the states and the union territories are complying with the requirements as per the specifications laid down by a Technical Committee," the union health ministry said in a press release.

"These cost effective made in India ventilators have the BiPAP mode and other such modes as have been prescribed in the technical specifications."

Lok Nayak, one of Delhi's most prominent coronavirus treatment facilities, has 2,000 beds, including 100 beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which are equipped with ventilators.

Last month, the Centre had allocated Rs 2,000 crore from the PM-Cares Fund for the supply of 50,000 "Made in India" ventilators to states and Union Territories amid their fight against the coronavirus.