Amid deaths being reported across India due to exposure to severe heatwave conditions, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya held a review meeting with seven states and urged them to implement the State Action Plans at the ground levels along with issuing timely warnings to people.
He chaired a meeting with representatives of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana via video conferencing, to assess and review preparedness for heat-related illnesses, arising due to heatwave conditions in some parts of the country.
As many as 68 deaths were reported at the Ballia Hospital in Uttar Pradesh. Although initially, the deaths were attributed to the ongoing heatwave in the region, a district health official was removed from the post for the statement and a senior government doctor later refuted the statement. This doctor stated that the deaths prima facie did not appear to have happened due to the heatwave.
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In Bihar, 26 people have died, out of which the state disaster management minister confirmed four due to heatwave. He claimed that 22 other deaths, earlier attributed to heat stroke, have been found to be caused by "other factors", according to PTI.
The health minister urged states to develop training manuals on heat and health for state officials, medical officers and health workers.
States were further advised to increase resiliency to extreme heat at health facilities level by ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply; installation of solar panels and adopting measures to reduce indoor heat.
“A granular status and analysis of overall heatstroke cases and deaths in India and heat-related illness in the seven affected states was made by the Health Ministry officials covering the trajectory of total emergency OPD, suspected and confirmed heatstroke cases and deaths; and their reporting as per Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal," the health ministry said in a statement.
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Dr Mandaviya stated heat alert and forecasts from IMD is amplified and shared with all states daily by the Union Health Ministry. “State-level trainers need to ensure that their training is up to field level. Capacity Building of Medical Officers, Health Staff & sensitization of grassroots level workers on heat illness, with focus on early recognition and management using training manuals provided by Union Health Ministry is crucial,” he stated.
States asked to share data on heatwave deaths
Highlighting the lack of accurate data from the ground, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai urged states to share field level data on heatwaves, including on deaths and cases, so that a realistic assessment of the situation can be made.
He further emphasied on the importance of timely action as soon as IMD alerts are received in the states. “Timely, advance and wide awareness among the people on the preventive measures will hugely support in reducing the severe impact of such heat waves”, he pointed out.
On Tuesday, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya set up a five-member team to visit the worst-affected states and look into the heatwave conditions. The team will consist of senior officials from the health ministry and India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Mandaviya said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been directed to suggest short-term and long-term steps to minimise the adverse effects of heatwave and prevent deaths arising out of the scorching heat.
