Bhubaneswar, May 31 (Bureau) The Odisha government on Friday directed health facilities at different levels to stay in total readiness for dealing with heat-related cases. The direction was issued 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 on Thursday. Reports reaching here 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 on Friday reported day temperature above 45 degree Celsius State Health and Family Welfare Secretary Shalini Pandit, in a special guidelines, 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 the proper management of heat-related cases, surveillance, and proactive measures to mitigate the chances of morbidity. As per the guidelines, all facilities are to ensure logistics in all health care facilities 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. The Health Secretary 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 concerned officials are asked to undertake proper investigations of suspected heat-related illness (HRI) deaths as per the National Action Plan to understand the circumstances around a suspected HRI death.
The letter stated that the post-mortem 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 sensitization and capacity building of medical officers, health staff, and grassroots level workers on heat illness, its early recognition, and management. The Health Secretary said the districts may also utilize 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 the population to safeguard themselves against the heat wave. 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. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu said the state had effectively handled the heat wave conditions in April, in which only four heat wave deaths were reported from the state.
He noted that in the last week of May, particularly during the last four days, heat wave conditions were reported in the central and western parts of Odisha, with 19 locations recording day temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, of which 12 locations recorded day temperatures above 44 degrees Celsius. The SRC said Jharsuguda on Thursday recorded a day temperature above 47 degrees Celsius, and the IMD had warned that heat wave conditions are likely to prevail for the next few days. Sahu advised people not to move out of their houses during peak hours from 11 AM to 3 PM and warned that strong action would be taken as per the Disaster Management Act if anyone violated the government guidelines. The SRC said the labour department has also issued warnings to all businesses and other establishments not to allow any work during peak hours.The District Collectors were also asked to ensure the guidelines be strictly implemented. Regarding the death of 12 people in one day on Thursday at IGH, Rourkela, Sahu said the District Collector and ADM had visited the hospital to investigate the cause of the deaths. A medical team has also rushed to the hospital, and it has been decided to conductpost-mortems on all the deceased to ascertain whether the deaths occurred dueto the heatwave or not.