Health Ministry issues norms for confirming heat-related deaths

Source– This post on Health Ministry issues norms for confirming heat-related deaths has been created based on the article “Health Ministry issues norms for confirming heat-related deaths” published in “The Hindu” on 11th May 2024.

Why in the news?

The Union Health Ministry has released standardized guidelines for verifying heatstroke and heat-related deaths across the nation.

About the Union Health Ministry’s Guidelines on Heatstroke and Heat-Related Deaths

1. Released by: The guidelines were developed by the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health along with the National Centre for Disease Control.

2. Purpose: They aim to standardize the process for confirming heatstroke and heat-related deaths in hospitals and enhance evidence-based medical decision-making.

3. Criteria for Death Labelling: The guidelines provide specific criteria to help hospitals identify and categorize a death as heat-related or due to heatstroke.

4. Autopsy Decisions: Autopsies should be considered based on the death’s circumstances, the deceased’s age, and the availability of resources.

The guidelines recommend collecting blood and urine for toxicological examinations whenever possible, allowing for later analysis as resources are available.

5. Autopsy and Collaboration: While an autopsy is not deemed mandatory for all cases of heat-related illnesses, the guidelines suggest that hospitals with forensic medicine departments should collaborate to perform autopsies. Additionally, they should send samples to pathology departments for histopathological evaluation when needed.

6. Climate Change Impact: The document acknowledges that climate change increases the risk of exposure to extreme heat events, raising the importance of these guidelines.

Read more: Heat strokes in India: Reasons and Impacts

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