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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Lok Nayak Hospital's neurosurgery ICU gets 5 portable ventilators
Lok Nayak Hospital's neurosurgery department on Thursday installed five portable ventilators at its ICU unit and secured three ventilator beds of ICU units of other departments for its patients. Portable or transport ventilators are mechanical ventilation devices designed specifically for emergency or transport scenarios, while fixed ventilators are permanently positioned respiratory support. This comes after The Indian Express reported on Thursday that as per official records, only one of the 15 ventilators was functional in the neurosurgery department of the Delhi's government's 2,153-bed Lok Nayak Hospital — the largest such facility in the national capital. Weekly status reports maintained by the hospital showed that there were 14 ventilators in the department till Tuesday — none of them functional. One functional ventilator was added on Wednesday. According to records, ten of these ventilators have been non-functional for eight months, two for about a year and two more for over two years. In 12 of these ventilators, 'multiple spares are defective' and need to be 'replaced as per service report'. The two ventilators that have been non-functional for over two years were procured during Covid from the PM CARES Fund. Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh and Lok Nayak Hospital Director B L Chaudhary did not respond to queries from The Indian Express regarding the ventilators. Official sources said that Danish Ashraf, Special Secretary, Delhi Health and Family Welfare department, visited the hospital around 3 pm on Thursday for an inspection of the neurosurgery department's ICU. 'Medical Director Dr B L Chaudhary was also on round,' the official source said. The hospital also procured 18 ventilators from Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital that are yet to be installed. Sources in the hospital said the instructions have been issued to repair the existing ventilators in the next 10 days. An official said: 'Instructions related to repair and maintenance of ventilators were passed earlier as well. Now, another set of instructions have been issued to speed up the process. We coordinate with manufacturing firms for annual maintenance of the machines.' Sources in the department also said that a lack of ventilators for almost a year led to a drop in the number of surgeries performed each month. Before the ventilators stopped working, an average of 30-35 elective surgeries and 20-25 emergency neurosurgeries were conducted in two operation theatres every month, the sources said. 'The number has come down to an average of 20 elective and 10 emergency surgeries per month… Cases are being prioritised and shortlisted. Cases which do not require ventilation are preferred,' said a senior doctor. Sources also said that patients who are operated upon in the neurosurgery department and require ventilator support were being shifted to the general surgery department's ICU, which has 15 ventilator beds. This ICU also accommodates patients who have undergone surgeries in the orthopaedic and medicine departments.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
15 ventilators at neurosurgery dept of Delhi's Lok Nayak, but only 1 working
Only one out of 15 ventilators is currently functional in the neurosurgery department of the Delhi government's 2,153-bed Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest such facility in the National Capital, official records reviewed by The Indian Express show. Weekly status reports maintained by the hospital show there were 14 ventilators in the department till Tuesday — none of them was functional. One functional ventilator was added on Wednesday. According to records, ten of these ventilators have been non-functional for eight months, two for about a year and two more for over two years. In 12 of these ventilators, 'multiple spares are defective' and need to be 'replaced as per service report'. The two ventilators that have been non-functional for over two years were procured during Covid from the PM CARES Fund. Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh and Lok Nayak Hospital Director B L Chaudhary did not respond to queries from The Indian Express regarding the ventilators. Ventilators are crucial during post-operative care, and in trauma and accident cases, to provide respiratory support to critical patients. Lok Nayak Hospital is among the three Delhi government hospitals that provide 24×7 emergency neurosurgery services. Its neurosurgery department has 86 in-patient beds and provides acute-level care to patients with trauma and pathology of the brain, spine, spinal cord and peripheral neuro injuries. Sources in the department said the lack of ventilators has also led to a drop in the number of surgeries performed each month. Before the ventilators stopped working, an average of 30-35 elective surgeries and 20-25 emergency neurosurgeries were conducted in two operation theatres every month, the sources said. 'The number has come down to 20 elective and 10 emergency surgeries on average per month… Cases are being prioritised and shortlisted, and those cases where ventilator is not required are preferred,' said a senior doctor. Sources also said that patients who are operated upon in the neurosurgery department and require ventilator support are being shifted to the general surgery department's ICU, which has 15 ventilator beds. This ICU also accommodates patients who have undergone surgeries in the orthopaedic and medicine departments. Doctors said that in cases where surgeries are conducted, patients are being provided with ambu bags — respiratory devices that have to be compressed manually and are used for short-term respiratory support in emergencies. In January last year, a man died after he was not given a ventilator bed and ICU care at Lok Nayak Hospital. The 47-year-old, who was an accused in a police case, was taken by Delhi Police to two other government hospitals in an ambulance. As CT scan was unavailable in those facilities, he was referred to Lok Nayak Hospital, police said. 'However, because of the unavailability of ICU ventilator beds, he could not be admitted there either,' the then DCP (Northeast) Joy Tirkey had said at the time.
New Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Thalassemics in lurch as LNJP doctor set to retire
NEW DELHI: Thalassemia patients over 12 years of age at the Lok Nayak Hospital are reportedly worried, as the facility has instructed them to seek an alternative place for treatment. The patients allege that the only doctor from the paediatric Thalassemia ward treating them, is set to retire with no replacement from the hospital in sight. They have written to the facility's Medical Director (MD) requesting the hospital administration to arrange a permanent doctor from the General Medicine department for the care of Thalassemics. Officials said about 63 patients aged over 12 years will be affected by the purported move of the hospital. When reached out for comments, no response was received from LNJP MD Dr BL Chaudhary. 'It is our humble request that we are all Thalassemia patients who have been receiving regular blood transfusions and treatment from Loknayak Hospital since birth. For years, we have received excellent treatment under the supervision of Dr. Sudha (Pediatric Thalassemia Ward), for which we are extremely grateful. We have recently received the information that Dr. Sudha is going to retire in the next few months. This information is a matter of great concern for us, as we are all worried about our regular medical care and future treatment after her,' patients' letter to the hospital's MD read.
