The Union government cited this shortfall when it earmarked Rs.2,000 crore under the PM CARES Fund to procure some 60,000 ventilators. Gokhale had sought information on the number and price of ventilators bought with funds from PM CARES and asked for copies of invoices. Amidst all this, new advisories by the Union Ministry of Health and allied agencies are underplaying the importance of ventilators in treating COVID patients. Only 5 per cent of COVID patients need ventilators for invasive ventilation, they claim. These rejections highlight the flagrant violations, mismanagement and suspected underhand dealings in the procurement and deployment of ventilators funded by PM CARES.

Source: The Hindu August 18, 2020 01:30 UTC