Life Saving Machine Repairs On Hold - Administration Lags at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital

KARACHI- Sources disclosed that, costly ventilators and incubators are not functioning at Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) largest teaching hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) since several months, while hospital management is unable to get them repaired due to unavailability of funds.

There are 37 ventilators in the health facility, out of which only 11 are in a functioning state. 14 ventilators are present in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) out of which only 4 are operational, while only 3 out of 17 are functional in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. In the Pediatric Emergency, only 3 ventilators are functioning, amongst them, only 1 ventilator is working at High Dependency Unit.

Ventilator, a machine designed to move breathable air in and out of the lungs. The adult and pediatric critical patients are now being referred to private and government sector hospitals from ASH, due to shortage of ventilators.

On the other hand, Out of 11, only 9 incubators in Pediatric Emergency Department of ASH are functional. 2 incubators are operating in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the hospital. The Incubator is an apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially a premature infant, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity and oxygen.

Medical Superintendent, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Dr. Muhammad Anwer, stated that majority of the ventilators and incubators are out of order due to shortage of funds, leading to slow repairments. He added that the administration will work on fixing them once they get hold of optimum funds and appealed that ASH urgently needs more ventilators and incubators to cater  their patients.