Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Lok Sabha on Friday said that a total 374 deaths due to heatstroke and 67,637 cases of suspected heatstroke were reported in the country between March 1 to July 27.
Uttar Pradesh was the worst-affected state with 52 deaths, followed by Bihar, which recorded 37, and Odisha and Delhi, which logged 26 and 25 deaths each, according to the data compiled under the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), shared by the minister.
States and Union Territories are submitting data on heat stroke cases and deaths on the Integrated Health Information Portal since 2023, Patel said in a written reply.
The Health Ministry issues advisories for states and UTs health departments to ensure various awareness, preparedness and response measures in early March every year.
This year, the advisory was issued on February 29 with a communication from Secretary, Union Health Ministry, to the chief secretaries of all states and UTs outlining measures to strengthen the health sector preparedness and increase community awareness, Patel said.