Heatwave: As mercury soars, gastro patients flood hospitals
Monsoon is expected to start from first week of July, says Met Office.
A man tries to beat the heat by pouring water over his head in the capital. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
As heat-wave grips the twin cities, the influx of patients suffering from gastrointestinal infections and other heat-related diseases has increased in the major hospitals.
For the past few days, the average temperature in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has been recorded at 40 degree Celsius and it is expected to go up to 44 degree Celsius in the coming week, said Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director General Arif Mehmood.
However light rain is expected at isolated places in the twin cities and surrounding areas in the next 24 hours which will bring the mercury down till Monday, he said.
Mehmood said that the heat-wave will continue till June 20 and the monsoon is expected to start in the first week of July.
In the last few days, Rawalpindi’s Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) have received over 200 cases of gastroenteritis and heat-related diseases.
A physician at the BBH on the condition of anonymity said that the hospital is receiving 20 per cent more patients of gastro compared to last year.
“It is because of the construction work going on in the twin-cities and the food vendors near the construction sites not taking any precautions to cover the food,” he said.
He urged the city administration to run an awareness campaign to educate people on how to prevent stomach-related diseases.
Polyclinic Hospital spokesperson and head of emergency department Dr Tanveer Malik said that on an average the emergency department receives over 150 cases daily.
“During summer the already congested emergency ward of the hospital becomes overloaded with such patients making it difficult to facilitate each of them” he said.
He said majority of the patients are labourers.
“We cannot afford to buy quality food from big restaurants therefore the last option we are left with is to get it from street vendors,” said Ashfaq Hussain, 29, a labourer.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) sources, the number of cases is increasing with each passing day.
“On an average the hospital receives 120-130 patients but for the past few days there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of these patients,” said a doctor at the emergency department of the hospital who wished not to be named.
He said the federal government has failed to take any measures to put an end to the root causes such as contaminated water, substandard and unhygienic food.
The doctor further said that the unscheduled and prolonged power outages worsen the situation as majority of the restaurants, food chains, homes, dairy shops and bakeries do not have back-ups due to which food quality gets affected.
“Every individual should have freshly-cooked food, consume boiled water and avoid fast food and food from the street” advised the doctor.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2014.
As heat-wave grips the twin cities, the influx of patients suffering from gastrointestinal infections and other heat-related diseases has increased in the major hospitals.
For the past few days, the average temperature in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has been recorded at 40 degree Celsius and it is expected to go up to 44 degree Celsius in the coming week, said Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director General Arif Mehmood.
However light rain is expected at isolated places in the twin cities and surrounding areas in the next 24 hours which will bring the mercury down till Monday, he said.
Mehmood said that the heat-wave will continue till June 20 and the monsoon is expected to start in the first week of July.
In the last few days, Rawalpindi’s Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) have received over 200 cases of gastroenteritis and heat-related diseases.
A physician at the BBH on the condition of anonymity said that the hospital is receiving 20 per cent more patients of gastro compared to last year.
“It is because of the construction work going on in the twin-cities and the food vendors near the construction sites not taking any precautions to cover the food,” he said.
He urged the city administration to run an awareness campaign to educate people on how to prevent stomach-related diseases.
Polyclinic Hospital spokesperson and head of emergency department Dr Tanveer Malik said that on an average the emergency department receives over 150 cases daily.
“During summer the already congested emergency ward of the hospital becomes overloaded with such patients making it difficult to facilitate each of them” he said.
He said majority of the patients are labourers.
“We cannot afford to buy quality food from big restaurants therefore the last option we are left with is to get it from street vendors,” said Ashfaq Hussain, 29, a labourer.
According to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) sources, the number of cases is increasing with each passing day.
“On an average the hospital receives 120-130 patients but for the past few days there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of these patients,” said a doctor at the emergency department of the hospital who wished not to be named.
He said the federal government has failed to take any measures to put an end to the root causes such as contaminated water, substandard and unhygienic food.
The doctor further said that the unscheduled and prolonged power outages worsen the situation as majority of the restaurants, food chains, homes, dairy shops and bakeries do not have back-ups due to which food quality gets affected.
“Every individual should have freshly-cooked food, consume boiled water and avoid fast food and food from the street” advised the doctor.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2014.