Four ventilators worth Rs 30 lakh stolen from RIMS-Adilabad ICU

Adilabad: In a major security lapse, unidentified persons stole four ventilators worth nearly Rs 30 lakh from a Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) at RIMS-Adilabad in broad daylight on October 30. However, the incident came to light only after officials lodged a complaint with police on Tuesday.

Police registered a case against unknown persons and launched an investigation into what was described as the first theft RIMS-Adilabad. They examined CCTV footage recorded in the ICU. Two persons are seen stealing the machines, while nurses and staffers were discharging duties in the afternoon as per the CCTV footage, a police official said.

However, RIMS authorities drew sharp criticism from many for showing negligence in safeguarding the equipment. Patients and attendants criticized the officials for suppressing the information about theft for five days and failing to prevent the loss of life-saving machines. They expressed concern over safety of their belongings at the medical institute, following the incident.

On the night of September 21, five infants were killed, while 20 newborns were hospitalized after inhaling toxic gases and smoke emanated from the explosion at SNCU at RIMS. Wires snapped by rodents were attributed to the tragedy. The State government extended a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to each family of the victims.