Eleven more patients died at the Ballia District Hospital in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, taking the death toll to 68.
Initially, the deaths were attributed to the ongoing heatwave in the region but a district health official was removed from the post for the statement and a senior government doctor later refuted the statement. This doctor said that the deaths prima facie do not appear to be from heatwave.
The PTI reported that a committee of health department sent from Lucknow to Ballia inspected various areas of the district on Monday.
In a separate development, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a high-level meeting on Monday and issued instructions regarding heatwave. He instructed officials to make arrangements for water at public place and ensure that no needless power cuts take place.
Till Sunday, 54 deaths were reported from Ballia. The NDTV reported that after government doctors there attributed the deaths to the ongoing heatwave conditions, Dr AK Singh, in-charge of a two-member probe committee sent from Lucknow to Ballia, said that the deaths do not appear to be linked to the heatwave as similar conditions in neighbouring districts have not caused such deaths.
Deaths could be coincidence: Dr AK Singh
The UP government sent a two-member team from Lucknow to Ballia to look into the deaths, comprising Dr AK Singh, quoted above, and KN Tiwari.
Singh is the Director (Communicable Diseases) and Tiwari is Director (Medical Care) in the UP government.
Tiwari denied that the deaths were from heatstroke, reported PTI.
"We are looking into all aspects to identify if there is any underlying common cause behind these deaths. Samples are being collected from patients and examination is underway...It could also be a coincidence because most of them were elderly patients with pre-existing ailments," PTI reported Tiwari as saying.
Ballia Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jayant Kumar said only two people died due to heat stroke in the district till Sunday, according to PTI.
Tiwari further said, "The arrangements at the hospital have improved. Five more air coolers have been installed in the wards."
CMO Kumar said a total of 178 new patients were admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours, of which 11 have died.
"Those who died were suffering from various ailments," said Kumar, as per PTI.
Kumar declined to comment on the cause of death and asserted that best possible arrangements have been made for the patients admitted to the hospital.
"On the direction of senior officials, we have increased the number of air coolers and fans in the hospital," said Kumar, as per PTI, adding the hospital administration has also increased the number of beds to 276 from 200 to accommodate new patients.
Patients have increased in Ballia: Hospital Superintendent
Balia District Hospital's Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) S K Yadav said that the number of patients admitted in the hospital has gone over 400.
"We are also experiencing a rise in patients in the out-patient department (OPD). About 1,500 to 1,800 patients are visiting the OPD daily as against around 1,000 to 1,200 earlier," PTI quoted Yadav as saying.
Officials told PTI that besides the district hospital, the number of patients in community and primary health centres of the district have also increased in the past few days.
Ballia along with the entire central and eastern UP, is reeling under hwatwave at the moment that is expected to last for two more days
CM Adityanath holds high-level meeting heatwave
Even as officials say that deaths in Ballia do not appear to be from heatwave, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday held a high-level meeting on the issye.
Adityanath gave instructions to officials to make arrangements for water at public places and asked officials to ensure that no unncessesary power cuts are made.
Adityanath also said that repair for damaged electricity infrastructure should be carried out promptly.
"In light of severe heatwave, water-points should be set up at public places in all urban bodies and rural areas. Markets and main markets should have drinking water facilities. Social and religious organisations too should support in this. There should be awareness of heatwave symptoms among common people. Hospital and medical colleges should promptly treat affected people. Relief Commissioner's Office should issue daily weather bulletin," said Adityanath, according to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
