Ghaziabad’s mortuary has received 20 bodies between June 18 and 21.
A three-member team consisting of the chief medical officer and doctors from MMG Regional Hospital will scrutinize all autopsy reports.
According to health department data, Noida had the highest number of bodies sent to the mortuary on Tuesday (June 18) at 28. Temperatures also remained unchanged on Wednesday.
Ghaziabad also witnessed highest number of suspected heat strokes death toll Tuesday at 18:00 and Wednesday at 17:00. A total of 16 people died on Monday, most likely from the heat wave. The committee will investigate the deaths and determine whether they were caused by a heat wave.
Dr Rakesh Kumar, chief medical superintendent of MMG district hospital, said the number of suspected heat stroke cases has come down since Thursday as temperatures dropped. “We had two deaths on Saturday into the afternoon,” he added.
However, a sudden surge in cases has put morgue capacity to the test. The number of doctors assigned to conduct autopsies in Noida and Ghaziabad has been increased from one to three.
Doctors admitted it was the first time since the pandemic they had seen so many bodies coming to the morgue at once.
“Autopsy rooms are overburdened. The last time we had this was during a pandemic. Extreme weather conditions not only claim lives but also put pressure on healthcare systems, which are already dealing with their own challenges. It is time for governments and ordinary people to take action to combat the effects of climate change,” said one doctor.
Noida CMO Suneel Kumar Sharma said the health department has tied up with other medical institutions such as Kailash Hospital, Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Fortis and Felix Hospitals to conduct autopsies . “Autopsy reports are confidential. They are sent directly to the respective health departments through the police,” he added.
