Mandaviya reviews heat wave situation in 7 states

: Effective disaster response and management is a collaborative work and with coordinated actions between the Centre and states, it can be ensured there are no deaths due to heatwaves, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.

Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting to review the public health preparedness for management of heat-related illnesses and virtually interacted with state health ministers, state disaster management ministers and principal secretaries/additional chief secretaries and information commissioners of seven states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana) which are experiencing severe heatwave conditions. Mandaviya said that “India has demonstrated during the recent preparedness measures for cyclone Biparjoy that timely and effective coordination between the Centre and states can produce the desired outcome”. “Sharing of ideas, expertise and best practices by states help in enriching everyone in effectively managing heat-related illnesses,” he added.

He urged the states to implement the State Action Plan, based on the National Action Plan, at the ground levels with a timely warning to the people, and ensure preventive preparedness to reduce the severe impact of heatwave.

Mandaviya stated that heat alert and forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is amplified and shared with all states daily by the Union Health Ministry and urged the states to develop training manuals on heat and health for state officials, medical officers and health workers. “State-level trainers need to ensure that their training is up to field level. Capacity building of medical officers, health staff and sensitization of grassroots level workers on heat illness, with focus on early recognition and management using training manuals provided by the Union Health Ministry is crucial,” he stated.

Highlighting the lack of accurate data from the ground, Rai urged the states to share field level data on heatwaves, including on deaths and cases, so that a realistic assessment of the situation can be made.

The National Action Plan on heat-related illness, released in July 2021, outlined the challenges posed by heatwave, heat-related illnesses and their management from primary to tertiary level; the SOPs for surveillance of heat stroke cases and deaths; and preparedness before and during summer season, with special emphasis on heat-related illness in vulnerable sections.