Bhubaneswar, April 11: The sun is in a record-breaking mood, if yesterday it was sizzling at 44.1°C, today it scalded the city at 45.8°C — the season’s highest since 1952.
With the temperature skyrocketing, the rush to hospitals has only increased.
To tackle such emergency situations, the Capital Hospital has created a special air-conditioned ward to accommodate 10 patients. The administration has also procured essential medicines such as ORS and glucose to treat heat-affected patients.
“The ward has been opened near the disaster preparedness unit inside the hospital. We have stocked all essential medicines and have made provisions for cold drinking water. The patients can be treated at the casualty ward and later shifted to the new facility if necessary,” said hospital superintendent Binod Mishra.
Mishra said that till Sunday the hospital had received only one case of sunstroke, but the patient was discharged after preliminary treatment.
Sources said that today the hospital received two more cases of sunstroke that included traffic constable.
According to the information obtained from the special relief commissioner’s (SRC) office, 19 people have died because of sunstroke in the state till date. The highest number of three deaths has been reported from Cuttack. The SRC, however, has completed inquiry into four of these 19 cases and concluded that these were not related to sunstroke. It is investigating the remaining cases.
Municipal Hospital in the Old Town area, run by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), has also equipped itself to tackle heat-related cases. An air-conditioned hall has been transformed into a ward to treat five sunstroke patients.
“We have put in place a dedicated air-conditioned cabin to treat sunstroke patients. We have also put up notices in the hospital about dos and don’ts for people. We have also stocked enough medicines,” said chief medical officer Nirod Sahu.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), however, claimed that it was already equipped to treat such patients and didn’t need to make special arrangements.
“We have enough beds to accommodate the patients suffering from dehydration. We also have enough doctors,” said AIIMS director Ashok Kumar Mahapatra. Private hospitals in the city have also made arrangements.
The regional meteorological centre here has warned of a similar heatwave like condition for the next one week. Met director Sarat Chandra Sahu told The Telegraph: “The temperature continued to show a rising trend due to the absence of moisture-laden sea breeze. Moreover, the dry wind flowing from the central parts of the country is causing more trouble. There are less chances of any thunder squall in next few days,” said Sahu.
