Heatwave: Amid 50 deaths in Delhi, Centre asks hospitals to set up special units

Swathes of northern and eastern India remained in the grip of a punishingly long heatwave on Wednesday (June 19), increasing heat stroke casualties and prompting the Centre to issue advisory to hospitals to set up special units to cater to such patients.

Over 48 hours, the bodies of 50 people belonging to underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds were recovered around Delhi, police said, as the searing heatwave sweeping the city caused a spike in casualties and heatstroke cases.

The national capital recorded a maximum temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius, over four notches above normal. The night temperature in Delhi was 35.2 degrees Celsius, the city’s highest in June since 1969, the Met office said on Wednesday.

Temperatures in Delhi have remained above 40 degrees since May 12. In these 36 days, the city saw 16 days when the mercury reached or surpassed 45 degrees.

Govt hospitals told to set up heatwave units

Amid such incidents, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Wednesday directed all central government hospitals to set up special heatwave units.

In an advisory to states, the Union Health Ministry gave directions for health facility preparedness and asked state Nodal Officers under National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) to start submitting daily the data on heatstroke cases and deaths and total deaths from March 1, 2024.

It called for maintenance of digital line list of heatstroke cases and deaths (suspected/confirmed) at health facility level and investigation of suspected heat related illness death by medical officer or epidemiologist.

Heatstroke unit at hospital

The Centre-run RML Hospital in Delhi, which received 22 patients in two days, with five deaths and 12-13 patients on ventilator support, has set up a first-of-its-kind heatstroke unit.

“The victims did not have any comorbidities. When such people come to the hospital, their core body temperature is recorded and, if it is found more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit and there is no other cause, they are declared as heatstroke patients,” a senior hospital official explained.

“Those who succumb to heatstroke are declared as ‘suspected heatstroke’. There is a committee of the Delhi government that later confirms the deaths,” the official said.

What heatstroke unit does

The task of the heatstroke unit is to ensure immediate cooling of the body.

“The unit has cooling technology and the patients are kept in baths filled with ice and water. When their body temperature goes below 102 degrees Fahrenheit, they are monitored,” the official said.

“If they are stable, they are shifted into the ward. Otherwise, they are put on a ventilator. Most of the patients who are admitted are labourers,” he added.

At least 50 heat-related deaths suspected

Police and health officials have not yet confirmed whether all the 50 people who died were due to heat-related causes.

The body of a 55-year-old man was found at the children’s park near India Gate on Wednesday. An autopsy will ascertain the cause of death.

The Centre for Holistic Development, an NGO working for the homeless, claimed that 192 homeless deaths were recorded in Delhi due to the heatwave from June 11 to 19.

Unnatural deaths

Police said they are getting calls regarding unnatural deaths of security guards, beggars or underprivileged people.

“The actual reason behind the deaths can only be known after post-mortem. But no doubt we are getting calls regarding deaths from all the districts of Delhi,” said a senior police officer.

“So far, we got to know that around 50 people died in different parts of Delhi. We have launched an investigation into the matter and our teams shifted the bodies to different hospitals for autopsy. The reports are awaited,” he added.

More patients

Safdarjung Hospital received 60 patients with suspected heatstroke, including 42 who were admitted. The hospital has reported six casualties, including a 60-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man.

At LNJP Hospital, four patients have died due to suspected heatstroke in the last two days.

“There were two deaths on Tuesday due to suspected heatstroke and two more on Wednesday. There are 16 heatstroke patients who have been admitted,” said a hospital official.

One of the victims, aged around 39, died during treatment on June 15. He was a motor mechanic who collapsed while working at his shop in Janakpuri. He was brought in with high-grade fever.

How heat can affect body

Speaking on heatstroke symptoms, a senior hospital official said patients sometimes collapse due to dehydration. They also suffer from very high fever, which causes the body temperature to reach 106 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit, he added.

The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi is reporting 30 to 35 heatstroke cases at its outpatient department daily. “These include conditions such as heat cramp and heat exhaustion,” said Dr Atul Kakar, chairperson of the hospital's Department of Internal Medicine.

“This surge in cases highlights the importance of public awareness about heat safety measures, including staying hydrated, seeking shade during peak sun hours and understanding the signs of heat-related distress. Healthcare providers are on alert, ensuring prompt and effective treatment to manage and mitigate the impact of rising temperatures on public health,” he added.

Lupus cases

The heatwave is also causing an increase in the prevalence of lupus that affects the skin, joints and kidneys, among other organs. People who have lupus frequently experience flare-ups and aggravated symptoms as the temperature rises.

Six to 10 cases of lupus were detected due to the prolonged heatwave. SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) or lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body's own system is targeted, leading to multiple-organ affection and damage. It primarily affects women and that too in their child-bearing age between 15 and 45, said Dr Lalit Duggal, a senior consultant of rheumatology and clinical immunology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Scorching temperatures

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions prevailed in parts of Uttar Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and pockets of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and the Jammu division.

On Wednesday, maximum temperatures ranged from 43 to 45 degrees Celsius in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan, the IMD said.

In Haryana, Nuh recorded a high of 45.3 degrees Celsius, Faridabad 45 degrees Celsius, while Gurugram recorded 43.6 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, also sweltered under a maximum of 43.1 degrees Celsius. Sangrur in Punjab recorded 44.8 degrees Celsius, while Pathankot saw a high of 44.3 degrees Celsius.

Rajasthan has hit 50 degrees Celsius twice over the last few weeks, and Delhi has recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius for 36 consecutive days. On Wednesday, maximum temperatures were recorded two to five degrees Celsius above normal in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur and Bikaner divisions.

In Kanpur, a head constable died of a suspected heat stroke, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

Water, power scarcity

The blistering heat has left a large number of people scrambling for water, with storage levels in reservoirs and rivers hitting record lows. The shortage of water for irrigation is impacting agriculture in some areas.

The water crisis worsened by the heatwave prompted Delhi Water Minister Atishi to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention. She threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike from June 21 if the issue was not resolved soon.

The power grids are under immense pressure and there has been an increase in incidents of short circuits and fires.

The Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) Wednesday said multiple-tripping incidents were reported in the northern region on Monday after power demand shot up to 89.4 gigawatt (GW), leading to a supply gap of 16.5 GW.

Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and J-K were the affected states, it said.

Warm nights worsening situation

IMD officials said high minimum temperatures or warm nights are exacerbating the impact of the deadly heat.

High night temperatures are considered dangerous because the body does not get a chance to cool down. Increasing nighttime temperature is more common in cities because of the urban heat island effect, in which metro areas are significantly hotter than their surroundings.

Relief in sight

Experts attribute the scorching heat to climate change and the naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon, which is basically unusual warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

A western disturbance may provide much-needed relief, though only marginally, over the next few days, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Also, conditions are now favourable for further advancement of the monsoon, which made no significant progress between June 12 and 18, extending the wait for rains in north India.

(With agency inputs)