Public hospitals and the Ambulance Services are fully prepared to effectively cater for increasing cases of heat related emergencies, said health services press spokesperson Charalambos Charilaou, in light of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary weekend, as thousands are on the move across coastal resorts.
‘We have the organisation in place, coupled with experience and know how io deal with all emergencies’, Charilaou stressed.
He confirmed rising cases of heatstroke and heat exhaustion (mostly vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and people with heart and respiratory conditions) as well as sunburns coming in at ERs across Cyprus due to persisting high temperatures.
‘People are treated on the spot for heat exhaustion and then go home without the need for further admission’, Charilaou clarified.
On the adequate staffing of ERs and the Ambulance Service, Charilaou assured that this frontline departments are always ‘staffed with all doctors and relevant health services personnel’, to cover for all expediencies, including accidents, strokes and heart attacks.
On accidents, the Health Services spokesperson said that this was an all year round situation but due to summer recess and people driving around the island, ‘there will possibly be more accidents’, so hospitals remain on alert for any eventuality.
