An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ventilator sent by the health department is lying useless at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital for over two years as the hospital does not have any ICU.      

Central Medical Store Department under the Ministry of Health sent the ICU ventilator worth Tk 18 lakh to the hospital in February 2013 without giving any prior information to the hospital authority, sources said.

The department did not even send necessary equipment needed to run the machine. No trained technician was provided either.       

The machine is used in the ICU to support breathing when the patient is unable to take breath naturally, physicians said.   

During a recent visit, this correspondent learnt that the ventilator machine kept in a corner of the hospital's operation theatre has to be given electric charge every the morning to keep it fit.

The important machine is lying idle as it was sent without proper planning and necessary arrangement for running, said Dr Ahad Ali, civil surgeon of Thakurgaon.