The government on Sunday issued National Guidelines on health related illnesses, with support from UNICEF .
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen unveiled the national guidelines at an event at a city hotel.
The guidelines are designed to provide all out response and preparedness for individuals, communities and healthcare professionals to prevent physiological and mental illness caused by scorching heatwave sweeping across the country, said the minister.
According to the guidelines, rising global ambient temperatures affect everyone but some people are more exposed to physiological or socio-economic stress, exacerbated illness and an increased rate of deaths due to exposure to excess heat. The vulnerable people include the elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, outdoor and manual workers, athletes and the poor.
Under the guidelines, the government took preparedness plans for hospitals at three levels - pre-heat season, heat season and post-heat season.
The guidelines will require the government to asks community clinics and union sub centres to keep air passage clear with windows and door wide open to provide ceiling fans and install wall mounted fans during heatwaves.
The guidelines will also require the government to keep in stocks hand fans for use during power failures and ensure safe drinking water supply.
The guidelines will require community clinics to ensure availability of cold sponging facilities and ensure stocks of basic equipment and medicines.
Union sub centres will be required to take public awareness campaigns.
Upazila Health Complexes will be required to install air conditioners or coolers if possible and activate fully functional One Stop Emergency Centres (OSEC) and referral system, identify and activate Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to respond to emergency calls and raise public awareness by engaging communities and trained staff.
To develop capacity, Upazila Health Complexes will be required to develop detailed action plans to tackle health related illnesses (HRI) for communities, community clinics, union sub centres, Upazila Health Complexes as well as at private clinics and hospitals.
The action plan ought to be developed by engaging community leaders, community group members, union parishad Chairmen and members, upazila parishad Chairmen and members as well as city and municipal Mayors and ward commissioners.
Upazila Health Complexes will be required to record and report on heat related illnesses and maintain updated hospital records, improve recording of heat illness examination procedures and cause of deaths, form death review committees and conduct autopsy of heat related illness.
Civil Surgeons will be required to prepare detailed action plans to tackle Heat-related illness (HRI) at wards, urban dispensaries, school health clinics, private clinics and hospitals.
District hospitals, medical college hospitals and specialised hospitals will be required to follow the guidelines.
Community preparedness plans will be required to making at-risk populations aware about the impact of heat and preventive measures to enable communities at large to identify heat stress-related symptoms, promote actions to act immediately and take heatstroke affected persons to health facilities or doctors.
They can advise people to take regular breaks from work during peak heat hours and establish community cooling centres at each neighborhood to provide temporary shelter for those seeking a break from the heat.
The national guidelines require community members, especially youth groups, to get organised to regularly check vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with special needs, those with co-morbidities, children, and pregnant women.
During heatwaves, people should drink at least 2.5 to 3 littre of safe water everyday, take safe food, avoid soft drinks and cold water and bathe more than once if possible.
The guidelines stressed the need for taking regular rest from work during intense heat.
It calls for wearing light and loose clothes, avoid wearing coloured clothes and unnecessary outings and for taking special care of children, pregnant women and the elderly.
If someone shows signs of heavy sweating with muscle pains or spasms in the abdomen, arms, or legs during or after work in heat, move him to a cool place as soon as possible, the national guideline suggests.
It requires to offer him or her safe drinking water, provide a fan to cool his or her and use water if necessary.
If someone shows signs of fatigue, excessive sweating, headache, weak pulse, rapid breathing, excessive thirst or dizziness during hot weather, remove him from heat areas and move him to a cool place as soon as possible.
If someone shows signs of heatstroke such as nausea, vomiting, severe headache, increased body temperatures, reduced urination, burning sensation during urination, abnormal behaviour and fainting shift him or her a hospital immediately and seek medical advice, says the guidelines.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the National Guidelines, Samanta Lal Sen said that like many South Asian countries, Bangladesh was experiencing a rise in extreme temperatures under the impact of climate change, putting people at the risk of heat-related illnesses.
"This National Guidelines provide individuals, communities, and healthcare professionals with information needed to stay safe during hot weather. The guidelines will reinforce healthcare professionals knowledge and provide them with the direction to manage and mitigate cases and fatalities of heat-related illnesses," he said.
Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, Additional Director General of Planning and Development in the Ministrys Heath Services Division, presented the keynote paper.
Sate Minister for Health and Family Welfare Rokeya Sultana attended as special guest while Md Jahangir Alam, Secretary of Ministrys Health Services Division, Afreena Mahmood, Planning and Research Director of Ministrys Health Services Division, Emma Brigham, Country Representative of UNICEF and Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam attended, among others.
