KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah visited the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Wednesday and told the media that the number of deaths attributed to heatstroke was incorrect. The CM said that Dr Seemi Jamali, the executive director of JPMC, informed him that they were receiving 6-8 patients daily but they were not in serious condition. Hospitals in the city claimed that no heatstroke case was reported on Wednesday. Indus Hospital spokesman Fawad Bin Rasheed told Daily Times that they had not received any heat stroke patient on Wednesday. He said Indus Hospital’s standard operating procedure (SOP) demanded that they declare an emergency in the hospital after receiving eight heatstroke patients. The Senior Director of Medical and Health Services, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Dr. Birbal Genani said that Nazeer Ahmed, a 50-year-old resident of Landhi-III, was suffering from heatstroke when he was rushed into Landhi Cardiac Emergency Center on Wednesday but he was discharged soon after his condition stabilised. Genani stated that, so far, zero deaths have been reported in Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) run health facilities. He said that a dead body of a 45 year old Muhammad Pervaiz was brought in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital from New Sabzi Mandi area but the cause of his death was a heart attack, not a heatstroke. Dr. Birbal Genani mentioned that two patients, Muhammad Anwer aged 45 and Wahid aged 36, suffering from dehydration had been brought in to the Heatstroke Management Centre at Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and were discharged shortly after the provision of first aid treatment. He said that the KMC had declared an emergency and made special wards for heatstroke victims in all the 11 KMC owned hospitals in the city. Sindh Health Department Secretary Dr. Fazlullah Pechuho said that the hospitals in Karachi did not receive any heatstroke patient during last three days. “I categorically reject rumors that people have died due to heatstroke in Karachi,” added Dr. Pechuho. Published in Daily Times, May 24th 2018.