Center relaxes rules, but Odisha demands autopsy records for fatalities from sunstroke

The state government nevertheless insists on using the autopsy results to declare sunstroke fatalities, despite the Center’s unambiguous statement that autopsies are not required in all heat-related fatality instances since the postmortem results are generic.

 

There have apparently been around a dozen deaths in various sections of the state. However, as of right now, the state administration has only reported 2 fatalities and 367 illnesses linked to the heatwave.

According to official records, on April 23 and 29, respectively, sunstroke claimed the lives of Laxmikanta Sahu (62) of Balasore and Nimai Charan Rout (50) of Dhenkanal. Due to a paucity of postmortem records, the at least 14 claims of sunstroke fatalities that have come from 11 regions have not yet been verified.

There were three fatalities from Balangir, two from Mayurbhanj, and one from each of ten other districts that are still under investigation without autopsy findings.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare warned the states that the diagnosis of heat-related death should be based on a history of exposure to high ambient temperature and a reasonable exclusion of other causes of hyperthermia (abnormally high body temperature) following a study on sunstroke-related deaths last month.

As a result, the National Centers for Disease Control (NCDC) released a guideline requesting that states determine the diagnosis based on the circumstances of the death, environmental temperature investigation reports, and/or recorded body temperature prior to death at the moment of collapse.

The NCDC has also made it clear that a death can be certified as heat-related if the investigation finds strong evidence of continuous exposure to a hot environment without also finding an independent cause of death. Alternatively, because these deaths occur in people who already have a medical condition that is known to worsen in the heat, the investigation can be certified as heat-related.

However, sources said that in order to declare sunstroke fatalities, the Odisha government has been following the outdated protocol and requesting autopsy results. In addition, there is a difference in pay.

Since May of last year, the sum of ex-gratia for fatalities connected to disasters has increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, with the exception of sunstroke. However, the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management only compensates Rs 50,000 for fatalities caused by sunstroke.