The 23 state-of-the-art ICU beds and 31 ventilators purchased by Veer Hospital at a cost of Rs 9 crore have been kept in storage for years, but the patients in critical condition are not getting treatment services. Doctors have been referring many patients to other hospitals.

Poorndevi Shahi of Baghbazar suddenly had breathing problems. Relatives took Veer to the emergency room. The doctor said that he had to be treated in the ICU as he had undergone surgery on various organs including the heart. But because there was no ICU bed, he had to be rushed to the emergency room. His relatives, who met him at the hospital on Tuesday, were very worried because of Shahi's heartbreaking condition.

70-year-old Parvati Majhi of Ramechhap Manthali, who needs to be treated in the ICU, was also in the emergency room. Asthma patient referred from Ramechhap District Hospital has been kept in the emergency room due to lack of ICU beds and full of medicine and oxygen. According to doctors, 4-5 patients who need to be treated in the ICU come to Veer every day. Some of them are referred by doctors to Maharajganj teaching hospitals and other hospitals, while some patients are taken to other hospitals by their relatives.

Veer has 67 ICU beds. Among them, 9 ICUs on the first floor and 9 ICUs on the second floor of the surgical building and 31 ventilators are unused. 5 out of 23 ICU beds, 18 surgical beds and 9 neuro beds on the 4th floor, are not operational.

These state-of-the-art equipment of ICU and ventilators were purchased from the government budget during the Covid epidemic. According to an employee of Veer's procurement branch, all the equipment was bought at a high price due to the chaos everywhere during the Covid. At the time of purchase, ventilators cost around Rs 25 lakhs and per ICU bed Rs 5 lakhs. ICU beds bought for around Rs 1.15 million and ventilators bought for Rs. 7.75 million are lying unused.

The ICU, ventilator-connected ward is locked. Poor common patients with serious diseases who come from far away are in dire situation without getting treatment. They are forced to stay in the emergency room and be treated with drugs and oxygen. Some are referred by doctors and some go to other hospitals themselves. 

Due to the lack of ICU and ventilators, especially patients with chronic and fatal diseases are in trouble. Patients with complex diseases have no choice but to pay expensive fees and go to private hospitals. Poor common people are also deprived of free services.

Head of Neurosurgery Department Dr. Rajeev Jha said that due to the shortage of ICU and ventilators, treatment services ranging from admitting patients to surgery have been affected. Doctors have to plan the operation of the patient only by looking at the number of ventilators and ICU beds. Because the ICU and ventilator are not operational, surgery is not possible,' he said, 'Even emergency surgery is only possible if another department within the hospital provides ICU or ventilator, otherwise there is no option to refer or return.' If not kept in the ICU, there is a risk of death,' he said. 

In most of the private hospitals in the capital, the daily fee of ICU is 12 to 15 thousand rupees. That too apart from the charges for services such as doctor's charges, insulation, oxygen etc. In Veer, the ICU fee is only Rs 3,000 per day. Some doctors of Veer allege that if all the ICUs and ventilators of the hospital are brought into operation, the business of private hospitals will decrease, so there is a big trick to prevent them from operating.