Indus Hospital given Rs300m to buy ventilators for coronavirus treatment

The Sindh government has released Rs300 million to the Indus Health Network (IHN) for the procurement of at least 50 ventilators for the health facilities in Sindh, of which at least 10 would be installed in a special health facility in the outskirts of Karachi where coronavirus patients would be admitted for treatment, The News has learnt.

Instead of purchasing them directly from the vendors through the process of tendering, the provincial government, to avoid unnecessary delay, has decided to provide the funds to IHN for the speedy procurement of the life-saving equipment, which has been declared immensely important for the treatment of the disease caused by the coronavirus, which causes severe pneumonia like illness to patients with compromised immunity.

“The provincial government has released Rs300 million to the Indus Health Network for the procurement of around 50 ventilators, 10 of which would installed at the health facility in the city outskirts where confirmed patients of coronavirus would be kept for treatment,” a senior health official said.

The authorities in Sindh have said that keeping in view the sensitivity of the diseased caused by the COVID-19, they have decided to convert a newly constructed 50-bed hospital in the city’s suburbs as the ‘exclusive treatment facility’ for coronavirus patients in Sindh.

The health department officials said the remaining 40 ventilators would also be provided to health facilities throughout the province, such as hospitals in Larkana, Sukkur and Nawabshah. They added that in case of confirmed cases of coronavirus in interior Sindh, these ventilators would help save patients’ lives.

The coronavirus treatment facility is also being upgraded by the IHN network and of the 50 ventilators to be purchased by the authorities, 10 would be installed there, an official of the IHN confirmed to The News and added that if required, the capacity of the coronavirus treatment facility would be further enhanced by adding more beds and life-saving equipment.

The health department has identified another health facility, also in the suburbs of Karachi, to quarantine the suspected coronavirus patients. Infectious diseases experts had advised the Sindh government to establish or identify a separate health facility to keep and treat the confirmed coronavirus patients away from other patients.