Rising summer temperatures pose significant challenges to healthcare systems, particularly in low-resource settings. This article examines the impact of heatwaves on government sector tertiary care emergency centers in Karachi, Pakistan and addresses the alarming increases in heatstroke cases and associated mortality during extreme heat events. The study signifies the urgent need for adaptive measures to enhance emergency preparedness, public awareness, and heat mitigation strategies. Addressing heat-related illnesses requires collaborative efforts from healthcare providers, policymakers, and community leaders. Effective interventions can mitigate the impact of rising temperatures on vulnerable populations and reduce heat-associated mortality.
Keywords: Environmental health; climate change; emergency care; global warming; heat stroke; heat stroke management; heat waves; hyperthermia; low income country; tertiary care.
Due to increasing global temperatures, the rate of heat stroke has increased, especially in countries already lacking healthcare facilities. This has led to high death rates due to heat stroke whenever temperatures soar high in the summer. It is important to understand and highlight the problems before proposing solutions and this article aims to do so by highlighting the barriers to delivering emergency healthcare to heat stroke patients, the underlying reasons why these problems exist, and proposes solutions to the government and concerned entities to tackle these problems and make sure they are corrected to guarantee a future with fewer deaths due to heat stroke.
© The Author(s) 2024.