Diwali: Medical emergencies increase 23% in Gujarat

As compared to 2017, medical emergency cases rose 23.4% during Diwali this year in Gujarat. As against 2,563 cases registered on Diwali last year, 3,163 cases were registered this year.

Similarly, 3,900 medical emergency cases were recorded on the New Year day this year as compared to last year's 3,407, a surge of 14.5%.

Majority calls were related to vehicular trauma and epilepsy-related. Against 339 cases of vehicular trauma calls on a given day,the service received 604 cases on Diwali day and 913 on New Year's, a surge of 23.9% and 11.3% respectively. Epilepsy, that on an average sees 70 cases on a normal day, also surged to 85 and 99 cases on the day of Diwali and New Year this year, a 24.2% and 61.2% hike across the state.

Cases of epilepsy and vehicular trauma also saw 21% and 25% rise, as compared to 2017 on New Year's Day and 43% and 57% hike compared to 2017 on Diwali. Last year, the service received 54 cases of epilepsy and 421 cases of vehicular trauma across the state on Diwali and 82 and 732 cases of epilepsy and vehicular trauma respectively on New Year's Day. In Ahm-edabad, the number of emergency medical calls to the service dropped on Diwali day as the cases fell to 433 from an average of 506 on a normal day, a drop of 14%. On the day of New Year, the surge in emergency cases was also a nominal over 5%.

HEALTH BLUES

Cases of epilepsy and vehicular trauma also saw 21% and 25% rise, as compared to 2017 on New Year’s Day and 43% and 57% hike compared to 2017 on Diwali.   On the day of New Year, the surge in emergency cases was over 5%.