Jammu: Only 137 ventilators are available for a population of more than 1.25 crore in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir Government said in the Legislative Council here.
Replying to a query by Congress legislator Muzaffar Ahmad Parray, Minister for Medical Education Taj Mohiddin informed the House that there were a total of 137 ventilators available across different hospitals, including Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) and government medical colleges of Jammu and Srinagar.
“In Government Medical College, Jammu, and associated hospitals, 19 ventilators are available, whereas in Government Medical College, Srinagar, and associated hospitals 46 ventilators are available,” Taj said.
“In district and sub district hospitals and other health institutions of the Jammu region, there are 34 ventilators, whereas in
district and sub district hospitals and other health institutions in Srinagar there are 16 ventilators. In SKIMS, Soura, there are 22 ventilators,” he added.
The Minister, however, didn’t mention how many of these ventilators were in working condition.
In a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application, the authorities at GMC, Jammu, had stated that only three ventilators were in working condition and rest of them were non-functional for past three years.