All hospitals told to ensure medical help for heat stroke patients
SUMMER WOES Health dept asks police, public to spread awareness about dangers of exposure to high temperatures
The Delhi government on Thursday directed all hospitals (both government and private) and nursing homes in the Capital to treat heat stroke patients as emergency patients and ensure immediate treatment for them.
The department appealed to Delhi Police and the public to make homeless people aware of the dangers of exposing themselves to high daytime temperature.
The health department directed all hospitals in the Capital to make necessary arrangements to ensure immediate medical treatment to patients suffering from heat stroke.
The department directed the medical superintendents and directors of government-run and private hospitals and nurs- ing homes to ensure necessary arrangements in their emergency departments in the form of cooled areas, manpower, medicines and IV fluids and ice packs.
Hospitals and nursing homes have been informed that due to persistent high temperature in the city for the last few days, there is an apprehension of a rise in cases of heat stroke.
“Hospitals and nursing homes have been directed to be particularly alert in treating patients showing symptoms like fatigue, weakness, nausea, profuse sweating, rapid pulse, muscle cramps, rapid shallow breathing and paleness of skin,” the advisory said.
“The department also directed all hospitals and nursing homes to make patients aware about not ignoring the symptoms of heat stroke, which can cause damage to vital organs of the human body,” it said.
“An advisory has been sent to us to be prepared for emergency situations and to increase alertness. This is a practice that we maintain every year when the temperature peaks. We try to manage patients with heat stroke by admitting them in emergency, we put them in a cool place to bring the temperature down, give them extra fluids and drugs to bring down the fever,” said Dr Sidharth Ramji, medical superintendent, Lok Nayak Hospital.
“The temperature of people suffering a heat stroke goes up, leading to dehydration. They feel drowsy and disoriented. They need ICU monitoring because the liver, kidney and brain may get affected due to a heat stroke. We are getting patients with heat exhaustion but not heat stroke at the moment,” said Dr Rommel Tickoo, senior consultant, internal medicine, Max Hospital.