Bhubaneswar : In the event of rising temperature throughout the State along with very hot and humid condition, State Health Department directed heads of all health facilities at different levels to stay in total readiness for dealing with heat related diseases.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary Shalini Pandit has issued a guideline for all medical colleges & hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, community health centres and district headquarter hospitals, Capital Hospital and RGH in this regard today.
Shrimati Pandit asked the healthcare facilities to ensure all preparedness as per National Action Plan on Heat Related Illnesses, and State Action Plan on Heat Related Illness.
She asked them to ensure proper management of heat related cases, surveillance, and proactive measures for mitigating the chances of morbidity and mortality.
As per the guidelines, all healthcare facilities ensure logistics with regard to availability of earmarked beds, adequate quantities of essential medicines, intravenous fluids, ice packs, ORS and all necessary equipment to provide active, emergency medical care with uninterrupted power supply, to meet the exigencies.
Guidance on development of heatstroke rooms and emergency management of severe heat-related illnesses are disseminated. Availability of sufficient drinking water at all health facilities and continued functioning of cooling appliances in critical areas must be ensured, Shrimati Pandit directed.
She asked the health officers to undertake proper investigation of suspected heat related illness (HRI) death as per Nation Action Plan to understand the circumstances around a suspected HRI death.
The suspected heat related death to be enquired by local medical officer and revenue officer jointly as per the SRC guidelines while post mortem of all such deaths are to be conducted, the Secretary said.
The information regarding death should be submitted to the Government immediately. The confirmed deaths would be notified by the SRC/ Collector of the District.
Efforts should be made for sensitization and capacity building of medical officers, health staff, grassroot level workers on heat illness, its early recognition and management. Training manuals developed by NCDC on these subjects made available earlier should be used for orientation, she suggested.
District administrations have been asked to utilize Information, Education and Communication (IEC) as well as community level awareness materials regarding the precautions to be taken by the population to safeguard them against heatwave.