LUCKNOW: The death toll amid the heat wave in Ballia went up to 68 in five days as 11 more patients admitted to the district hospital died due to various ailments on Monday, said officials.
The UP health department’s probe panel, which was sent to the eastern UP district on Sunday from the state capital Lucknow to ascertain the cause of deaths, inspected various areas on Monday.
The deaths come amid the heatwave conditions in the region. However, Ballia Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jayant Kumar said only two people died due to heat stroke in the district till Sunday.
The two-member committee comprising Director (Communicable Diseases) Dr A K Singh and Director (Medical Care) KN Tiwari visited the block Bansdih from where most of the victims were admitted to the hospital.
The two officials also held fresh inspection of the district hospital. "The arrangements at the hospital have improved. Five more air coolers have been installed in the wards," said Tiwari.
Commenting on the rise in the death toll, Tiwari said, "It could also be a coincidence because most of them were elderly patients with co-morbid conditions." However, the director (medical care) denied that the deaths were caused by heat stroke.
"We are looking into all aspects to identify if there is any underlying common cause behind these deaths. Samples are being collected from patients and examination is underway," he said while interacting with media persons.
While the Chief Medical Superintendent of the Ballia District hospital was removed, health officials claimed that an average of eight people were reportedly dying daily at the district hospital.
Meanwhile, CMO Kumar said a total of 178 new patients were admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours, of which 11 have died. "Those who died were suffering from various ailments," he said.
While declining to comment on the cause of the deaths, the CMO claimed that the best possible arrangements were made for the patients admitted to the hospital.
"On the direction of senior officials, we have increased the number of air coolers and fans in the hospital," the CMO said, adding the hospital administration has also increased the number of beds to 276 from 200 to accommodate new patients. Ballia, along with the entire central and eastern UP, is reeling under sultry weather with temperatures reaching up to 43.5 degrees Celsius.