As Delhi experiences scorching heat, arrangements have been made at several hospitals to treat patients suffering from issues such as exhaustion and stroke.
Scorching temperatures in Delhi have forced authorities to issue a red alert for the sweeping heatwave that has disrupted routine activities in the national capital.
Rohit Garg, a 24-year-old gig worker, was admitted to the capital’s Safdarjung hospital when his body temperature rose and he began shivering. Delivering food parcels on his two-wheeler in the blistering heat enveloping Delhi had taken its toll, and he fainted at his last stop.
“His sugar level dropped, and he suffered from severe dehydration. We had to put him through rehydration therapy as he suffered a heat stroke,” Ashutosh Singh, a doctor, told DW.
Jagan Das, a construction worker, has just recovered from a local hospital stay of four days, where he was on intravenous fluid.
“I was dehydrated and am fortunate to survive. Working shifts of 10 hours in high temperatures put me down,” Das told DW.
Sizzling Delhi
With Delhi continuing to reel under scorching heat, arrangements are in place at several hospitals to treat patients suffering from heat-related health problems such as exhaustion and stroke. Some have set up dedicated units to treat patients suffering from heat-related health problems.
The Delhi government has asked hospitals to initiate a heat-relief action plan and ensure preparedness to deal with Heat-Related Incidents (HRIs). In the last fortnight, 10-15% more heat-related patients have come to OPD and about 10% to the emergency department.
“Our hospital staff is being sensitized for quick pick up of diagnosis and we are ready with rehydration therapy, depending on the severity of heat stroke patients,” Sumit Ray, medical director of Holy Family Hospital, told DW.
With no respite from the heat expected anytime soon, the India Meteorological Department issued a “red alert” about severe conditions in the national capital. Najafgarh in south Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 47.8 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest of the season so far.
The Delhi government directed the schools that have not closed for summer vacations to do so with immediate effect.
Public parks and markets are reporting thin attendance, and zoo authorities have begun to introduce preventive measures such as hosing down animals and installing water coolers in enclosures.
Extreme heat affects poor
However, no help is forthcoming for Delhi’s outdoor workers and low-income households, even though rising temperatures can pose serious health risks.
“We bear the brunt of the heatwave — dehydration and heatstroke — almost daily, and there is an absence of basic facilities from the scorching sun,” Meena Devi, a daily construction worker, told DW.
Many contractors fail to provide essential requirements to their laborers. Lack of access to adequate healthcare facilities and unsafe working conditions pose significant risks to workers’ well-being.
