Why India is failing to track heatstroke fatalities properly

As of 18 June, India had reported 110 deaths from heatstroke this year and another 40 272 suspected cases, amid temperatures nearing 50°C that have affected large parts of the country. Most were in rural areas and linked to strenuous outdoor agricultural work, and doctors warn that the mortality rate is likely much worse than officially recorded.1“Doctors aren’t properly trained in certifying deaths of heatstroke,” says Dileep Mavalankar, a doctor who played a key role in formulating India’s first heat action plan, created for the city of Ahmedabad in western India in 2013. “Government agencies are not taking the under-reporting of deaths seriously, as fatalities go unreported. There is a need for accountability.”The BMJ has analysed data from India’s National Crime Record Bureau, the government agency responsible for analysing crime and accident data nationwide. Of 8060 accidental deaths attributable to natural causes in 2022, 9.1% were attributed to “heatstroke.” In…
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