At least five people have died reportedly from heatstroke in two days amid searing temperatures
Published : 21 Apr 2024, 06:43 PM
Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen has ordered the hospitals to prepare for a possible influx of heat-related ailments that may be triggered by the ongoing heatwave.
He discussed the issue with the civil surgeons and directors of government hospitals in a virtual meeting on Sunday as blazing temperatures continued to affect people’s lives and livelihoods.
At least three people died reportedly from heatstroke earlier in the day, taking the number of such fatalities to five in two days of record-breaking heat.
“Hot weather brings the risk of heatstroke. We’ve made guidelines for hospitals to manage these patients,” Sen said in a media briefing after the meeting.
HIGHLIGHTS
The minister said people should go to the hospital for the doctor’s advice for certain symptoms amid heatwaves. These symptoms are:
sweating stops despite the heat
nausea
burning sensation while urinating
decreased urine volumes
Seizure
faintness
a rise in body temperature
Sen said the hospitals were ordered to keep beds ready to admit the elderly and child patients suffering from heat-related diseases.
The hospitals have sufficient amounts of saline and medicines, according to him. “But inform us whenever there is a deficiency in oral saline.”
The health minister said he consulted Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel and arranged for the closure of schools and colleges when the Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued a heat warning.
An online training session for doctors on treatment of children during heatwaves will start later on Sunday, the minister said.
We are fully in control of the situation, but we can’t tame nature. So, we must be ready.Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen
State Minister for Health Rokeya Sultana said the Dhaka North City Corporation hospital designated for coronavirus patients in Mohakhali was asked to keep separate beds for the children and the elderly.
HEATWAVE
The elderly and the children are most vulnerable.
They should not go out without an emergency.
School closure will be extended if necessary.
Hospitals have been ordered to defer admission of patients who do not need urgent attention.
HEATSTROKE DEATHS
A 60-year-old man in Pabna and another 42-year-old died from what the authorities believe is heatstroke on Saturday when temperatures reached very severe levels in some districts.
On Sunday morning, a 45-year-old homemaker named Shilpi Khatun died in Meherpur’s Gangni Upazila while working in the yard of her home at Ruerkandi village.
Her cousin Taslima Khatun said Shilpi had suffered from nausea and fever for three days during the heatwave.
Chuadanga, next to Meherpur, has been recording the highest temperature for quite some days. Jashore, another southwestern district, surpassed Chuadanga on Saturday to record a nationwide highest temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius.
In Narsingdi, a 30-year-old readymade garment trader, died from suspected heatstroke, said his relatives and a doctor.
The man, Shafquat Jamil Iban, fell ill in the morning after returning home to Bhagirathpur village of Madhabdi from a wedding ceremony held in Narayanganj.
Citing his relatives, Narsingdi Sadar Hospital’s resident physician Mahmudul Kabir Bashar said Iban fainted for being under direct sunlight for a long time. He died before being brought to the hospital.
“It appears from the information given by the family that he died from heatstroke, but we can’t confirm that immediately,” the doctor said.
In Sylhet city, a rickshaw-puller collapsed and died in front of Kazirbazar Bridge police box at South Surma around 11:30am, said Yardaus Hasan, chief of the local police station.
The 34-year-old Abu Hamid Mia, 34, is a native of Habiganj. His body was kept at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Soumitra Chakrabarty, deputy director of the hospital, said although the temperature was not so high in Sylhet, heatstroke cannot be ruled out without knowing how long Hamid was working under the sun.
The highest temperature in the city was 33.5 degrees Celsius.