Bhubaneswar: The state government Friday directed health facilities at different levels to stay in total readiness for dealing with heat-related cases. The direction came in light of rising temperatures throughout the state, along with very hot and humid conditions, and the reported deaths of 16 people in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts reportedly due to the heatwave Thursday. Reports indicate that the entire western Odisha has virtually turned into a boiling cauldron, with day temperatures rising above 45 to 47 degrees Celsius.
As many as eight locations in Western Odisha alone Friday reported day temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius. Health and Family Welfare Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shalini Pandit, in a special guideline, instructed all medical colleges and hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, community health centres, and district headquarters hospitals to scrupulously ensure all preparedness in line with the National Action Plan on Heat-Related illnesses and the State Action Plan on Heat-Related Illness. She directed for proper management of heat-related cases, surveillance, and proactive measures to mitigate the chances of morbidity.
As per the guidelines, all healthcare facilities must ensure logistics to meet the exigencies. Health facility preparedness must be reviewed regarding the availability of earmarked beds, adequate quantities of essential medicines, intravenous fluids, ice packs, ORS, and all necessary equipment to provide active, emergency medical care with an uninterrupted power supply, she said. Pandit said that guidance on developing heatstroke rooms and the emergency management of severe heat-related illnesses has been disseminated. The availability of sufficient drinking water at all health facilities and the continued functioning of cooling appliances in critical areas must be ensured. The officials were asked to undertake proper investigations of suspected heat-related illness (HRI) deaths as per the National Action Plan to understand the circumstances around suspected HRI deaths. The letter stated that the postmortem of all suspected HRI deaths must be conducted, and information regarding the deaths should be submitted to the government immediately. “Confirmed deaths would be notified by the SRC/Collector of the district, and efforts should be made for sensitisation and capacity building of medical officers, health staff, and grassroots level workers on heat illness, its early recognition, and management,” she said. Pandit said the districts may also utilise Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) as well as community-level awareness materials developed by NPCCHH and Director, SIHFW regarding the precautions to be taken by people to safeguard themselves against the heatwave. She said all suspected heat-related death cases must be investigated by the local medical officer and the revenue officer jointly, as per the SRC guidelines.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued a heatwave warning for several districts including Bolangir, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Nuapada, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Boudh, and Kandhamal for Saturday. Additionally, hot and humid weather conditions are anticipated in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Keonjhar districts June 1.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP