Delhi HC flags unused ventilators, concentrators at government hospitals

Hundreds of ventilators and oxygen concentrators are lying unused at GTB Hospital, part of a wider inventory of critical medical equipment sitting idle across 26 Delhi government hospitals, the Delhi High Court said.

A Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was told that 400 ventilators and 910 oxygen concentrators at GTB Hospital were surplus following the COVID-19 pandemic. The court also noted that the hospital’s ECG machine was non-functional.

The judges expressed concern about unused equipment at the Delhi State Cancer Institute, including machines needed for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Hospitals cited a lack of technically qualified staff in several cases, while others reported missing parts or accessories.

At Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan, the court noted that almost all equipment listed in the government’s report was unused.

The court directed the Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare and Services to meet medical superintendents and directors, review each hospital’s position, and consider technical staffing, removal of condemned machines, transfers to hospitals that need the equipment, filling vacancies and buying missing components. The matter is listed for September 18.