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54 people have died and around 400 hospitalised in India’s Uttar Pradesh's Ballia District Hospital in the last three days amid soaring temperatures.
Doctors have said that though there are different reasons for the deaths, severe heat could be a factor. Hospitalisations are rising because of severe heat, they said. A severe heatwave has swept UP, with most places seeing temperatures north of 40 degrees, reports NDTV.
The sudden increase in deaths and patients being admitted to hospitals with fever, breathing trouble, and other issues have overwhelmed the hospital, which has put its staff on alert.
23 patients died on Thursday, 20 the next day, and 11 on Saturday, District Hospital Ballia Medical Superintendent (in-charge) SK Yadav said.
Azamgarh Circle Additional Health Director Dr BP Tiwari said a team is coming from Lucknow to investigate if there's some disease which is not being detected. When it is too hot or cold, respiratory patients, diabetes patients, and blood pressure patients are at increased risk.
The mercury rising a little may have led to their deaths, Dr Tiwari speculated.
There's such a rush at the district hospital that patients are unable to get stretchers, and many attendants are carrying their patients to the emergency ward on their shoulders. The Additional Health Director has, however, claimed that it gets difficult if ten patients turn up at the same time, but they do have stretchers.
UP Health Minister Brajesh Pathak has said the government has taken serious cognisance of the incident in Ballia, and he is personally monitoring the situation there.
"Two senior doctors, of Director level, have been sent to the spot. They will apprise the administration of the situation in writing very soon," he said, adding that the Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Diwakar Singh has been removed from his post for "giving a careless statement on deaths caused by heatwave without having proper information".
"All Chief Medical Officers in the region have been directed to immediately start identifying each patient and provide proper medical care. All medicines are available at government health centres, and no patient has to buy them from outside. I am monitoring this myself," he added.
In a statement on Friday evening, CMS Dr Diwakar Singh, who was removed on Saturday, said 34 people had died due to heatstroke. "All the deceased were old and had some ailment. Because of the heat, those diseases aggravated and they were brought in serious condition to the hospital and died during treatment and tests. This was despite all arrangements for medicines and treatment," he had said.
