With the onset of the hot summer season, the India Fraternity Forum (IFF) Dammam chapter, an expatriate welfare organization, has begun a one-month heat stress awareness campaign for Indian expatriates called “Summer Healthcare.” IFF organizers said that during the summer, the general public needs to take the necessary preventive measures against heat stress and heat exhaustion, and they have urged workers to be sure to drink sufficient quantities of water, especially those who work outdoors. Indian International School Managing Committee chairman Muhammed Asghar Khan inaugurated the campaign in Al-Khobar. As part of the campaign, IFF organizers issued “Medical Discount Cards” in coordination with Shifa Al-Khobar Polyclinic for those who do not have health insurance. More than 100 cards were issued during the function. During the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Manu Mathew spoke about “Summer diseases and precautions” and Dr. Aboobacker spoke about the “Swine flu disease”. As part of the campaign, organizers distributed pamphlets and brochures which explained that “Heat stress is the effect of heat on a person's ability to maintain a normal body temperature. If we are working in a hot and humid environment, our body temperature rises quickly and we are at high risk of having heat-related disorders and diseases, such as, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and finally heat stroke, which can be fatal. It affects the central nervous system and may result in headaches, dizziness, confusion, loss of consciousness, convulsions and, finally, death”. IFF Dammam Coordinator Moosakutty presided over the function, Parvez Ahmed (Bihar), Muhammed Faisal (Tamil Nadu), Imthiyaz Ahmed (Karnataka), and Shifa Al-Khobar Polyclinic Marketing Manager, Noushad Hussain, spoke during the occasion. Nizam Muhammed Haneefa welcomed the audience and Abdul Salam gave the vote of thanks.
