UP Heatwave – 80 Deaths in 6 Days, Officials Blame Scorching Temperatures

UP Heatwave: The only government hospital in Uttar Pradesh has been getting a lot of attention because more people have been dying there due to the extremely hot weather. Between June 15 and 20, a total of 80 people who were admitted to the hospital have died, and officials state that the high temperatures have been a contributing factor.

बलिया में हिट वेव से मौतों के कोई पुख्ता सबूत नहीं- डीएम रवींद्र कुमार #Ballia #heatwave pic.twitter.com/ifExG0lLnD

— Ballia Khabar बलिया ख़बर (@BalliaKhabar) June 18, 2023

The hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district is overcrowded. There are around 200 patients occupying the same number of beds, and more patients keep coming in throughout the day. There are only two doctors taking care of them, and they are overburdened. However, there has been a slight decrease in temperatures on Tuesday, which has given them some relief. On Tuesday, the temperature dropped from 43°C to 41°C.

बलिया में हीटवेव का आतंक! भाजपा की नाकामी और अधिकारियों लापरवाही, बलिया में ले रही हर घंटे किसी न किसी की जान! #Ballia #Ballianews #Balliakhabar #Heatwave
Link : https://t.co/gPFBwrfImq pic.twitter.com/eZkAKBjUzB

— Ballia Khabar बलिया ख़बर (@BalliaKhabar) June 17, 2023

On Tuesday, 20th June 2023, fewer people died at the hospital compared to previous days. Dr. Jayant Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of the hospital said- there were “three or four” deaths. The Chief Medical Superintendent, S.K. Yadav, said that most of the people who died were elderly patients who already had health problems. They were admitted to the hospital when their health worsened because of the heat.

Dr. Kumar explained that the number of deaths is not usually this high every year, but the extreme heat has made the situation worse for those with existing health conditions.

In the hospital’s emergency department, patients of different ages were occupying the beds. Most of them were receiving saline water through a drip, and some said they had to go outside to buy any additional medicine they needed.

During a visit to the hospital on Tuesday, the district magistrate, Ravindra Kumar, noticed some issues and took action. He issued a notice to the store officer for not installing air conditioners that were available but not being used. The hospital’s IPD and emergency departments had two coolers each, and two air conditioners had been installed in the IPD a couple of days ago. The district magistrate questioned why the other air conditioners were not being used during the summer.

He also inspected the emergency wards and asked a contractor to ensure cleanliness. He warned the contractor that legal action would be taken if cleanliness standards were not met. Some complaints from patients’ families included the absence of a water dispenser and only one functioning tap outside the emergency area.

The families of some patients at the hospital mentioned that the hot summer weather and irregular power supply had made the situation worse. For example, the family of Shanti Devi, a 70-year-old woman from Dharampura in Ballia, rushed her to the hospital when she started bleeding from her mouth and nose. Her son, Shivashankar, said that they didn’t have power supply at home the whole day, and his mother felt unwell in the afternoon.

Shivashankar explained that they only had a fan at home, and power was available for only a few hours during the day. On Monday, the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, instructed officials to minimise power cuts and make necessary arrangements to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.

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