In an unnerving revelation, for the last nine years, Sion Hospital has been using the same set of overworked ventilators. In 2009, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) purchased VELA and AVIA ventilators. 25 VELA ventilators and five AVIA ventilators were placed in Sion Hospital's emergency ward. The guarantee period of these machines was two years, after which, the BMC handed the maintenance contract to Messers Life Care Medical Systems.
After the contract expired in May 2016, the civic body has spent around ₹1.5 Cr and renewed the contract for additional five years, i.e. until 2021. Meanwhile, Sion Hospital's Dean has assured that these machines can run for the next 4-5 years if maintained efficiently.
The ventilators run for 24 hours and the lifespan of these machines are solely dependent on its usage. For the last nine years, these nine machines have been working constantly and if the concerned company fails to maintain these machines, they will stop functioning, according to experts.