With apprehensions expressed by the authorities that next summer season will bring in frequent and prolonged heatwaves, the State Government will chalk out a heat action plan to meet the challenge.
And the State Government will notify a task force to take up task of climate change impact on healthcare.
Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi held discussions with Secretary Health and Family Welfare Pramod Kumar Meherda in this regard.
While this year, frequent and prolonged heat wave conditions were observed, experts on climate are apprehensive of similar worst experience in next summer season.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also advised the State Government to prepare the heat action plan.
Union Secretary Health and Family Welfare Preeti Sudan has brought it to the attention of the State Government to strengthen environmental health system as health is directly and indirectly affected due to impacts of various environmental factors.
Sudan has said that an area of concern today is the changing climate and its related impact, largely in heat related illness and other climate sensitive illness such as vector borne and water-borne diseases.
The State Government will have to undertake activities to make health system climate resilient for which a senior officer will be notified as State Nodal Officer-Climate Change, who will have support of a full-fledged team as a an Environment Health Cell in the Department of Health, said the Union Secretary.
With air pollution badly hitting the National Capital Region and Delhi has been branded as worst polluted city in the world, the Union Government is worried over the alarming situation.
Under the backdrop, a State specific action plan for climate change and human health is needed to be formulated soon by the State Government, said the Union Secretary Health and Family Welfare.
Keeping this in view, Chief Secretary Padhi has held discussion with Dr Meherda and asked to chalk out the State action plan to contain health hassles due to heat waves.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Health Family Welfare (MoHFW) has decided to initiate sentinel surveillance of acute cardio-respiratory events in selected hospitals of selected towns.
And the State Health authorities will have to carry out Information Education and Communication (IEC) initiatives in the State in order to make aware the people about the hazards of pollution on health.