The fresh example of the Sun God’s wrath is a man was found dead on a road due to sunstroke. However, dozens of summer related deaths go unreported
Nagpur News: With temperatures soaring to boiling point as is witnessed by Nagpur citizens since the past few days like the 47.9 degree Celsius recorded on Wednesday, this summer is hell bent on creating a hell of a situation for Orange City citizens. The summer is giving a third degree treatment to people by tormenting, torturing, killing anguish, and other harassing ways. The present blistering summer could be defined by dozens of words meaning similar to above-mentioned words but still no word could describe the real ferocity of this year’s summer. Unfortunately, the sizzling summer is not over and the coming days would be a deadly nightmare for the citizens. And not to mention the heavy toll the summer takes in his blazing way.
The fresh example of the Sun God’s wrath is reported from Timki area of Nagpur when a man Deva Vithoba Khadatkar was found dead on a road due to sunstroke. According to Tehsil police, Deva was found dead on Timki Patvi Mandir road near “Sonpapdi” (A kind of sweet thing) factory of one Madanlal. The body of Deva bore no injuries or any sign of quarrel that could have led to his death. However, according to police, Deva died of sunstroke even before he could ask for any help or treatment. Deva’s sudden death proves eloquently that the boiling summer heat could kill a person with only at one stroke.
Deva’s death is not an isolated case of sunstroke. Dozens of such cases are being reported by umpteen numbers of hospitals, private or Government, in Nagpur. However, these hospitals, do not report of deaths of many patients due to sunstroke or other summer related diseases like Gastro, Jaundice, Diarrhoea apart from sunstroke. The citizens could only read in obituary columns of various newspapers of Nagpur the death of a particular person without mentioning the reason for the death. But one can witness, apart from obituary columns, several deaths in all ages specially the kids, and older citizens of all sections of people in the society with an exception.
However, the Sun God is not the only responsible factor for persecution of Nagpur’s citizens. The ill-equipped Government Hospitals like Government Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), the Mayo Hospital, and the NMC hospitals had been and have been responsible for deaths of summer related diseases the chief being the sunstroke. Notwithstanding the tall claims by the concerned authorities of the these hospitals over excellent facilities to tackle the rush of summer patients the ground realities contradict the tall claims.
The hospitals as the first step create Cold Wards in their respective hospitals to handle the summer situation. And, these hospitals have done the same exactly. But the coolers installed at the Cold Wards are left to mercy of the lethargic ward boys or girls. Many coolers are starved of water and the patients, instead of cool air, are battered by warm wave of airs thus putting the patients to a great hardship.
Several patients of summer diseases have been admitted to these so-called cold wards. But the patients are forced to ponder over whether they have committed sins to be admitted in the Cold Wards as instead any relief they face more problems than the assumed relief when they got admitted into the Government Hospitals. However, the authorities of these hospitals claim that they are fully prepared themselves to tackle patients of summer diseases. Now-a-days, the Sun God is spitting fire with Nagpur recording over 47 degree Celsius temperatures and that too constantly without showing any mercy for a single.
On the other hand, the Gastro patients are admitted to NMC’s Isolation Ward in Imambada area. The number of patients admitted to the Isolation Ward has increased considerably with over 100 Gastro patients being admitted just in a week. This year, too, as usual, several shortcomings have been noticed. The coolers in this ward are age old. Every year tenders are floated for new coolers. And after accepting the tenders, hundreds of new coolers are supplied to various Government as well as NMC hospitals. But surprisingly, only two or three new coolers are installed in the Cold Wards and the Isolation Ward. What happens to other new coolers is a sort of mystery. Perhaps the answer lies with concerned hospital authorities. Sometimes some patients, too, keep silence and tolerate lack of proper facilities thinking they have to return homes after the treatment. Then why blame the doctors and other staff and face wrath of them.
Few days ago, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan had proudly announced that Maharashtra has emerged the first state in the country to provide high quality X-ray, CT Scan, and MRI facilities to patients in Government hospitals at concessional rates.
Chavan further elaborated, the Maharashtra Government’s Health Department, through a joint Private Participation Project (PPP) venture with an American institute G E Technology, will equip Imaging Departments of about 35 Government’s Hospitals with latest technologies and provide X-ray, CT Scan, and MRI facilities to patient a concessional rate.
“Maharashtra has bagged the distinction of being the first state in the country to deliver high quality medical treatment through a joint venture project based on PPP,” the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had announced with a pride.
Mr. Chief Minister it is okay to provide hi-tech facilities like X-rays, CT Scan and the MRI. But what about the simple and less costly facilities to give relief to summer related patients. These patients are not asking for hi-tech facilities like X-rays, CT Scan and the MRI. Their rightful demand is simple. So, Mr. Chief Minister first provide the simplest facilities to Government hospitals, and, then talk about hi-tech facilities.
