Heatstroke claimed the lives of 374 people between 1 March and 27 July in India, Union minister of state for health Anupriya Patel has told the Lok Sabha. A total number of 67,637 cases of suspected heatstroke were reported in the same period.
Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 52 deaths, followed by Bihar at 37. Odisha and Delhi reported 26 and 25 deaths each. The minister shared data compiled under the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
States and Union Territories are submitting data on heat stroke cases and deaths on the Integrated Health Information Portal since 2023, Patel said in a written reply.
The Ministry issues advisories for states and UTs health departments to ensure various awareness, preparedness and response measures in early March every year. This year, the advisory was issued on 29 February with a communication to the chief secretaries of all states and UTs outlining measures to strengthen the health sector preparedness and increasing community awareness, Patel said.
