Record heat wave forces hospitals in Bangladesh to take emergency measures

A record heat wave has forced healthcare facilities to take emergency measures to provide medical services to patients with heat-related illnesses as the entire country has been battered by scorching heat since early April.

“Large numbers of people are falling ill due to heatstroke, dehydration, exhaustion and respiratory problems and suffering from other heat-related illnesses as the country witnessed record temperatures in April,” said director of Mugda Medical College and Hospital. Dr. Md Niatuzzaman said, reports BSS.

“Following the Health Minister’s directive, we have taken special measures for the patients associated with heat-related diseases… a significant number of people are coming to Mugda Hospital for treatment after falling ill due to the ongoing heat wave,” he added.

Children and the elderly suffer from various heat-related diseases, Niatuzzaman said, adding: “We have taken special initiatives to treat children and the elderly as they are the most vulnerable during this prolonged hot weather.”

Identical images of heat-related illnesses can also be seen in other hospitals and healthcare facilities, including Shishu Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).

Spokespeople of these hospitals said that since the first week of April, patients with heat-related health complications have been visiting doctors to seek treatment, and some of them were admitted with serious illnesses caused by severe heat wave.

AKM Tariful Islam Khan, spokesperson of the ICDDRB, said: “Nearly 500 patients with diarrhea are admitted to the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B). A significant number of patients are admitted to the ICDDRB on a daily basis.”

While this admission rate for diarrhea patients is normal, he cited abnormally warm weather as the main reason for the water-borne disease.

Khalilur Rahman, former director of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, advised people to take precautions including wearing clothes appropriate for the weather, avoiding external exposure during the day to protect themselves from heatstroke, and taking rest after one or two hours during the work period. .

He also urged people to have liquid food, especially coconut water, lemon juice and safe drinking water as the human body suffers immensely from dehydration due to extremely hot weather.

Khalilur said, “During the heat wave, body temperature rises alarmingly, which can cause people to faint. People faint and get heatstroke because our brain does not absorb high temperatures as the brain has the maximum capacity to tolerate body temperature.” .

As the country has been battling a severe heat wave since early April, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) recently issued four-point guidelines to prevent heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.

The guidelines include staying away from intense heat, resting in the shade, drinking plenty of safe water, avoiding street food and drinks, wearing loose, thin and light-colored clothing and visiting a doctor if there are symptoms such as stopping sweating, nausea and severe headache. During this hot weather, increased body temperature, decreased appetite, burning sensation, convulsions and fainting are experienced.

Dr. Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, a veteran meteorologist working at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), said, “Met Office has been collecting data on rising temperatures since 1948… April has already been the hottest month, breaking all records of 75 years. ” .

“In 2019, there were 23 days out of two months – April and May – of mild to moderate heatwave. This year, April alone reached exactly 23 days of mild to moderate heatwave, meaning April has broken the record for a longer month of heat. heat wave,” he added.

“This ongoing heatwave will continue despite the fact that some areas near border areas have seen little rain,” the meteorologist said, adding: “There is a chance of relief from this hot weather as our mathematical model has shown that there will be no significant rainfall in the coming years. one or two weeks.”

The entire country is experiencing the first episode of a severe heat wave since the first week of the current month, and the ongoing heat wave will continue into the coming month.

“The Met Office has issued a heat alert on April 3 and extended the heat alert as Bangladesh is likely to experience a prolonged heat wave compared to the past few years,” Shahnaz Sultana, a meteorologist from the Bangladesh Meteorologist Department (BMD), told BSS recently .

According to officials at several hospitals, the nationwide heatwave continues due to a lack of expected downpours, causing a marked health problem with an increasing number of people reporting to hospitals every day with high fever, diarrhea, pneumonia and heatstroke.