JOIN USHeat wave packs hospitals with patients
With heat wave continuing in the Capital, some government hospitals recording at least 80 per cent increase in children being admitted with summer-related ailments.
Cases of heatstroke are also being reported among adults, according to doctors.The worst hit are day labourers and rickshaw pullers who spend long hours in the sun.
With the mercury touching 45 degree Celsius here, several people who are outdoors from noon to 4 pm are suffering from the initial stages of heatstroke – dehydration, cramps and nausea.
“People at construction sites who are most exposed to the sun are the worst sufferers of the loo. The first stage of suffering from a heatstroke is severe exhaustion followed by dehydration. Some people also feel nauseatic in this condition, said Dr S M Raheja, medical superintendent, Hedgewar Hospital.
‘Drink lime water’
“It is required to immediately rehydrate by drinking lime water with adequate sugar and salt. It can also lead to dizziness and the person losing consciousness,” Dr Raheja added. In extreme cases, people die of heatstrokes.
The hospital has seen a number of cases in which people are suffering from mild heatstrokes.
There has also been a significant rise in patients reporting to the OPDs and being admitted at the wards due to summer-related infections. At Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, there has been an 80 per cent increase in admission in the paeditraic unit in the past five days. The admission rate for children at Lok Nayak Hospital has risen by 100 per cent over the past week with most children suffering from severe dehydration and diarrhoea, said a senior doctor at the paediatric unit, LNJP.
Water scarcity “Most of the children are suffering from diarrhoea. With scarcity in water and the temperature severely going up, the admission has drastically gone up by 80 per cent,” said Dr Alok Agarwal, head of the paediatrics unit at the hospital.
The hospital has also seen cases of heatstrokes among the elderly, said a senior doctor from the medicine ward. Diarrhoea is caused due to low hygienic levels. Poor quality drinking water is the major factor leading to diarrhoea cases.