Many times availability of a ventilator support system in major public hospitals is more than impossible. A recent Right to Information (RTI) application response reveals that around 32 ventilators in KEM Hospital are not functioning since the last few months. According to the medical authority, they are trying to solve the technical glitches related to non-functioning of ventilators and few of the ventilators have been scrapped. While many a time, the ventilators are not easily available in the civic hospitals. According to the hospitals, the demand for the ventilators are high and the number of ventilators is low. A medical social worker from KEM Hospital said, "We can't guarantee anybody that the ventilator will be kept available till the time their patient is shifted from one hospital to another. A hospital cannot refuse ventilator support to anybody if it is available at the time of inquiry on availability. Since it a question of life support, denying it is not an option." Response to RTI plea filed by activist Chetan Kothari revealed that out of the 32 non-functional ventilators, five are for the emergency medical service ward. All five ventilators were reported to be non-functional between January to June this year due to non-functional flow sensor. Six out of 11 ventilators in MICU are non-functional. "KEM, Nair and Sion Hospital are three major civic-run hospitals in the city. They have a lot of patients waiting to get a bed with ventilator support. Many times, the relatives are refused over the phone or are told to be on the waiting list. Non-functioning of ventilators is a major concern looking at how relatives run from pillar to post to get beds with a ventilator support system to save the patients' lives," said Kothari. According to the response given by hospital authority to the RTI, they are in the process to start the non-functional ventilators soon. Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean of KEM Hospital was not available for comment. Another RTI reply revealed that four ventilators in Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion are not working.

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