As the city reels under intense heat, hospitals in Gurgaon are witnessing a surge in the number of patients arriving for consultations in their Out-Patient Departments (OPDs), with doctors and staff at some places working longer hours to meet the demand. Most patients, officials say, were found to be suffering from one of the two heat-related infections — heat exhaustion and typhoid. “Since the past week, medicine OPD has seen about 55-60 per cent daily increase in patients due to heat exhaustion… Every day, around 20 patients are complaining of dehydration. With initial drip, only 15-20 per cent got better, while the rest got admitted,” said Dr Amitabha Ghosh, consultant, Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon. Doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) also noticed a similar trend. Dr Raman Abhi, Additional Director, Internal Medicine, FMRI, said, “There has been a 10 per cent rise in the number of patients who are coming to the OPDs. They suffer from heat exhaustion, severe body ache and headaches. The number of patients in the ER has also increased by 4 to 5 patients a day.” The Haryana health department had issued an advisory earlier this week laying out guidelines for prevention of heat strokes, and directing all Civil Surgeons in the state to take stock of their resources by inspecting emergency wards, ensuring there is round-the-clock electricity supply and checking that all fans, coolers and air conditioners are functional. However, some hospitals in Gurgaon, while acknowledging the comparative prevalence of heat exhaustion, said the real problem at this point is typhoid. For all the latest Cities News, download Indian Express App

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