Heat kills in city: 20 more deathsconfirmed but toll could be higher

New Delhi: Deaths due to the intense heatwave sweeping across the capital continues to take its toll with 20 more fatalities taking place in the past 48 hours. This official figure includes six in central govt hospitals and the rest in hospitals run by Delhi govt.
The toll could, however, be much higher as several Delhi govt hospitals have reported alarming figures of people being “brought dead”.Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDUH) in west Delhi received bodies of 27 unknown/destitute persons in the past 48 hours. Most of these deaths could possibly be attributed to the extreme heatwave conditions. Other Delhi govt hospitals too reported 25 more such deaths.
According to details shared by Dr Ajay Chauhan of RML Hospital, four deaths have been reported there in the past two days. Two of these deaths occurred on Wednesday morning, with one taking place around 1:05 am and the other around 8:20 am. TOI had reported seven deaths here earlier with the total toll now going up to 11. Dr Chauhan also disclosed that the hospital had admitted six new patients on Wednesday.
Two persons – a 55-year-old woman from Sangam Vihar and a 45-year-old man from Noida -- passed away on Wednesday at Safdarjung Hospital. With this, the total number of heat-related deaths in the hospital has risen to six. Doctors said both patients were found to be suffering from very high fever on arrival. They passed away within an hour of being admitted. The hospital had also admitted 15 more patients the same day, highlighting the severity of the ongoing heatwave.
In the past two days, a total of 14 people have lost their lives due to heat-related reasons in various Delhi government hospitals. Among these fatalities, six were reported at Lok Nayak Hospital. Earlier, TOI had reported two deaths at Lok Nayak Hospital due to heatstroke.
According to data available with TOI, at least 52 more people were declared dead upon arrival at various healthcare facilities under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government possibly due to heat-related conditions in the past two days. The highest number of such cases was at DDUH as reported earlier here.
Attempts to reach out to Dr BL Chaudhary, medical director of DDUH, for his comment on the matter were unsuccessful. Dr Chaudhary did not respond to questions sent via WhatsApp and further efforts to establish contact with him proved futile.
The rising temperatures in the city have taken a toll on the health of its residents. The authorities are urging people to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from the scorching heat and seek medical attention if they experience any symptoms related to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.