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Delhi heatwave: 380 hospitalised, 14 died in 48 hours, says health minister
Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi's Health Minister, said he will look into government hospitals preparedness in dealing with health issues caused by the heatwave.
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Delhi health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said 380 people were admitted to government hospitals in the capital, while 14 have lost their lives due to heat-related cases in the past 48 hours. He added that 112 people had been discharged while 118 were still admitted to hospitals in Delhi.
Read more: Heatwave horror: 5 dead, 12 critical at Delhi hospital; labourers most affected
According to media reports, 10 people have also died in Noida in the last 24 hours due to heatstroke.
Saurabh Bharadwaj said due to temperatures going as high as 52 degrees Celsius, the highest in 60 years, and night temperatures increasing to 38 degrees Celsius, a number of people suffering across north India and particularly in Delhi.
Read more: Light rains bring down temperature in Delhi amid severe heatwave; AQI improves
Earlier, the medical superintendent of RML hospital had stated that labourers in Delhi were most affected due to the heatwave and made up most of the patients. He also said the main cause of deaths is delays in accessing hospitals.
Bharadwaj told news agency ANI that he was visiting government hospitals and ensuring that all of them had adequate IV fluids, medicines and ice packs.
The Delhi health minister also said he has spoken to the Delhi Police Commissioner about the bodies recovered by the cops and delivered to DDU hospital. He said they would work on identifying what the cause of death was in those cases and if they were indeed due to heat-related issues.
Read more: IMD sets date for monsoon onset in Delhi-NCR as residents reel under heatwave
Bharadwaj said the Delhi Police, during their night patrols, should notice if people are sick or have high temperatures and escort them to the nearest hospital or call for an ambulance.
Delhi's heatwave has been relentless but light rain have led temperatures to slightly cool down on Thursday morning. The arrival of monsoons is expected to bring relief later in the month, according to the IMD. Delhi has been grappling with a water crisis as well, which has made the heat-related health issues worse.
