New ward opened at GRH to treat heat-related illness

Tamil Nadu government opens exclusive heat wave ward in hospitals to treat patients affected by rising temperatures.

As heat wave was announced by both the Union and State governments as one of the deadliest effects of Climate Change, Tamil Nadu government in 2024 directed the Government Hospitals in all the districts to open an exclusive ward to treat patients affected by heat and its co-morbidities.

As per the direction, Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai opened a heat wave ward in 2024 and following that, in this year too, to tackle the heat-related illness cases, owing to summer, a new ward with 10 beds has been opened to treat emergency cases.

L. Arul Sundaresh Kumar, Dean, GRH, said that though not many cases related to heat were reported in the district, a cautionary ward with 10-beds would always be ready in the hospital.

When the treatment for a normal healthy person affected by the soaring heat would just be hydrating, the issue was only elderly people, children and people with comorbidities like diabetes and thyroid, he added.

Even when they hydrate by drinking water, they would require the necessary electrolytes to keep the body balanced, Dr. Arul Sundaresh Kumar added.

When they get exposed to sun continuously, they might experience irritabilities like tiredness, dryness, rise in body temperature and soreness, he added.

For such patients, treatment to lower their body temperature and to balance the fluids would be required. In such cases, IV fluid would be injected, he added.