Mumbai: Kin allege lack of ventilator in Sion Hospital killed man

MUMBAI: A senior citizen died on Monday in civic-run Sion Hospital with family members alleging that he was not provided a ventilator and efforts to sustain him with an ambu pump proved futile.
Nabi Ahmed Ansari (65), a resident of Ambernath in neighbouring Thane district, had suffered brain haemorrhage last week and was shifted from a private hospital there to Sion Hospital soon after, the deceased's brother-in-law Noor Ansari said.
"For two days, we could not arrange a ventilator and were using an ambu pump every two hours as instructed by hospital authorities. We had inquired about ventilators in other civic hospitals as well but in vain," Ansari said.
Sion Hospital Dean Dr Mohan Joshi said he was unaware of the number of ventilators available at the medical facility, among the biggest in Mumbai, but added that the use of ambu pumps, to mimic the work of ventilators, in such cases was common practice.