Why reporting heat wave deaths accurately might be difficult?

In the middle of June this year, temperatures in several parts of Uttar Pradesh had ranged between 42C and 47C during mid-June. The media reported that in Ballia and Deoria districts of Uttar Pradesh, 119 people have died from ‘heat-related ailments’. But what exactly is meant by ‘heat-related ailment’? How are heat wave deaths actually reported? How does the doctor medically certify a heat wave death? How are heatwave deaths certified if existing comorbidity is severed by heat, leading to death?

In this episode, reporter Sneha Richhariya seeks answers to all such questions. She visits a district hospital and speaks to Dr. Abhishek Sharma, Emergency Medical Officer at Noida district hospital and Abhiyant Tiwari, Lead climate resilience and health consultant at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 

Additional material

Cause certified in just 22.5% of deaths registered in 2020 | India News

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