Russia halts use of ventilators linked to hospital fires that killed 6

Healthcare Regulator of Russia has reportedly ordered a ban on use of ventilators on May 13 which is believed to be the cause of two fires at coronavirus hospitals claiming the lives of six people. According to the reports, Roszdravnadzor, the federal regulator has halted the use of Aventa-M ventilators produced from April 1, 2020 by a Urals factory, part of the state conglomerate Rostec. A statement reportedly said that the ventilators were used to treat patients in hospitals in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg where the fires emerged over the past week.

READ: Russia: Five Coronavirus Patients Die After Fire Broke Out In Hospital

Investigations underway

According to the international media reports, the fire in Moscow's Spasokukotsky hospital killed one person last week while another blaze in a medical facility in Saint Petersburg Tuesday resulted in taking lives of five people. Tatiana Golikova, Russia's deputy prime minister incharge of healthcare reportedly said that the investigators are looking into the matter and proper actions should be taken. According to the reports, Rostec said last month its factories will be producing 6,711 ventilators to cure virus patients. 

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Meanwhile, police in St. Petersburg, the second-largest city in Russia, have launched a criminal investigation into the fire, although, the suspected cause remains faulty ventilator, a news agency reported, citing anonymous sources. The fire at St. George Hospital was contained by the authorities, at least 150 people have been evacuated, the press service of The Ministry of Emergency Situations told the state media outlets.

As per reports, in mid-March, St. George Hospital had been re-equipped to admit and treat the critical patients diagnosed with Covid-19 disease.  Furthermore, citing a spokesman for the emergency services on condition of anonymity, a local news agency reported that the cause of the incident could be a “sudden malfunction” of electrical equipment. It could be due to an “overload” with ventilators being “pushed to their limit” by the hospital amid the surge in the ICU patients with limited medical equipment, a local daily reported quoting a source.  
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