SHILLONG: The recent allegation made by some local NGOs that NEIGRIHMS was trying to obtain certain electrical instruments through an outside firm without obtaining Trade Licence has been defended by the Institute saying that in view of surge in COVID-19 cases the installation of these equipment brooked no delay.
When questioned, the officiating director, Dr P Bhattacharya told this correspondent that the equipment were urgently required to ensure the safety of the health care workers and staff in the ICU.
Dr Bhattacharya clarified that the equipment, which essentially were heavy duty storage air stabilisers, were urgently required to keep all the staff working in ICU safe when they were handling patients, especially when handling the airways.
“If the ICU staff and other healthcare workers fall ill due to the absence of these air stabilisers then the whole system will collapse as there will be no one to take care of patients,” Dr Bhattacharya said.
These equipment are not manufactured in India
and are not sold in this region of the country. The NEIGRIMHS ICU being very large, there is need to ensure that air circulation is well managed.
Besides there are two ICUs A & B. Two units of these air stabilisers are needed for each ICU. The COVID ICU is in one room and the next room has an ICU for non-COVID patients. The air stabilisers will ensure that ventilation units are able to clean up the air so that air from one ICU unit does not spread to the next ICU.
Touching upon the trade licence issue, he admitted that “the rule in NEIGRIHMS says clearly that any company tendering for any supply or work has to have a trading license. The company supplying the equipment had called up the KHADC office but there was no one to attend to the phone calls and nor are there online application systems for trade licenses. In such a situation to defer the procurement of important medical equipment for want of a trading license will affect the COVID-related work at NEIGRIHMS,” Dr Bhattacharya added.
Dr Bhattacharya has in fact appealed to the KHADC to facilitate the procurement of the trading license, since this case is of an urgent nature and the equipment urgently required are for the safety of the health workers of NEIGRIHMS.
