Heatwave burdens hospitals

LAHORE:

About 800 people affected by the ongoing heatwave were treated in city hospitals on Friday as the citizens braved another day of excessively hot weather.

The heatwave has gripped areas across the province, including Lahore, leading to crowds of patients in hospitals with complaints of heatstroke, gastroenteritis, headache, fever, food poisoning, diarrhea and other health problems.

According to the Meteorological Department, the temperature in Lahore is expected to rise to 46 degrees in the coming days as the intensity of heat will increase. It advised the citizens to be careful to protect themselves from the adverse effects of the weather.

In the past 24 hours, 300 patients came to the Services Hospital, 200 to Mayo Hospital, 44 to Jinnah and 55 to General Hospital. As many as 339 patients were examined at the Children’s Hospital for ailments caused by exposure to heat.

Doctors urged the citizens to exercise caution, avoid rotten fruits and vegetables, not use food that has been refrigerated for too long and keep drinking water with them while going out of the home.

They said children should not be allowed to go out in sunlight. According to Dr Israrul Haq, fainting caused by hot weather is often accompanied by a high fever.

He said people should wear sunglasses to protect themselves from the sun while venturing outdoors during the heatwave, wash their faces with cold water five or six times a day and also wash their eyes.

Most people preferred to remain indoors during the hot hours of the day.

Extreme hot weather persisted in most parts of Punjab.

The provincial capital has been gripped by the heatwave for the past several days and there is no forecast of rain in the next couple of days.

Several citizens also visited canals and parks to get relief from the heat. They were seen trying to escape the heat by sitting under the trees in parks or taking a bath in the cold water of the canal.

All the departments concerned in the province have been put on alert given the forecast of the severe heatwave persisting during the next week.

According to the Meteorological Department, most of the plains of Punjab, including Lahore, have been gripped by intense heat for several days. The maximum temperature in Lahore reached 44 degrees.

The department forecast dry and hot weather for most districts of the province during the next two days. The plains are especially expected to remain in the grip of extremely hot weather. The temperatures in most cities are rising due to the dry weather. According to the Meteorological Department, light clouds are expected on May 16.

Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal has put on alert all the departments concerned in the province to cope with the expected severe heatwave next week.

According to the chief secretary, the provincial and district disaster management authorities have been mobilised to prevent health problems due to the heat.

All hospitals and the Rescue 1122 service will remain on high alert. Early response centers and temporary drinking water supply points have also been set up. The chief secretary appealed to the citizens to take precautionary measures and said that the advisories issued by the health department should be followed.

The heatwave has also resulted in a sharp decline in the attendance of children in schools.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2022.