Roszdravnadzor, Russia's healthcare watchdog, told Sputnik on Saturday that it was still examining the model of lung ventilation equipment that could have caused deadly fires in hospitals treating COVID-10 patients in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and it was too early to come to conclusions.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2020) Roszdravnadzor, Russia's healthcare watchdog, told Sputnik on Saturday that it was still examining the model of lung ventilation equipment that could have caused deadly fires in hospitals treating COVID-10 patients in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and it was too early to come to conclusions.
On May 9, a blaze broke out on the first floor of the treatment block of Moscow's City Clinical Hospital No. 50, resulting in one patient dying. A similar incident took place in St. Petersburg on May 12, with the death toll of six. Both hospitals were treating patients with COVID-19 and had artificial lung ventilation apparatuses, which are said to be a possible reason behind both fires.
"Roszdravnadzor is still inspecting Aventa-M artificial ventilation machines, as well as performing technical tests, so it is premature to arrive at any conclusions," the service said in a statement.
Aventa-M lung ventilators are manufactured by Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies JSC (KRET), a part of Russian state-owned high-tech conglomerate Rostec. After the fires, Roszdravnadzor has suspended the use of all these devices manufactured after April 1, 2020.
