“The clear message is don’t use drugs at music festivals … but we are also realistic enough to realise some young people don’t hear the message,” he said.

“If you come to a festival and get yourself into bother, you should immediately get along to a medical tent where we will do everything possible. Our most expert medical staff will look after you.

“You need not fear you will not be reported to the police,” he said.

Chill out zones  and free water will also offer revellers a reprieve from the heat.

The zones would be critical considering the temperatures of people who overdose and skyrocket to 42 degrees, said NSW chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant.

“When you take MDMA your body temperature will increase and can cause your organs to shut down. Dancing and hot weather can make this happen more quickly,” Dr Chant said.

“MDMA alone can be a killer but mixing MDMA with alcohol and other drugs or taking multiple doses of MDMA increases your risk of harm.

“If you or a friend is confused, dizzy, too hot, vomiting or has a fast heart rate, get to the medical tent fast,” Dr Chant said.

She said some festivalgoers were avoiding medical tents for fear they would be reported for taking illicit drugs.

“You won’t be punished for getting medical help,” Dr Chant said.

Five young people have died of suspected fatal illicit drug doses at music festivals in NSW since September.

A directions hearing for an inquest examining the deaths heard that one reveller who died of a suspected overdose had consumed up to nine ecstasy pills of 77 per cent MDMA purity.

NSW Health also launched a social media campaign featuring short videos featuring an emergency clinician, an overdose survivor, a paramedic and festival volunteers.

The campaign - informed by focus groups of young people - are less about absistence, and more geared to harm reduction, such as looking after mates and seeking medical help.

NSW Ambulance retrieval staff specialist Dr Sarah Coombes said the sooner they get help the better.

“We can’t save them all,” Dr Coombes said. “Some people have such a severe reaction to these drugs that we’ll do our best but we won’t get a good outcome.”

Mr Hazzard stood by the government’s rejection of pill testing, saying its focus on identifying impurities sent a “completely inappropriate” message.

“You are dicing with death with just one MDMA tablet, Taking MDMA is dicing with death,” Mr Hazzard said.

“We are trying to make sure we take steps that we know will work.”

At a pill testing demonstration on Tuesday, president of Harm Reduction Australia Gino Vumbaca said he understood politicians were nervous about pill testing, but the evidence showed it reduced harm.

"I understand it's difficult for a lot of MPs, but really, we can't continue to allow what is happening to continue,” he said.

NSW Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said Labor would consider pill testing within the context of a drug summit.

"I am not proposing and I am not signing up to the implementation, I think there is more work to be done," Mr Secord said.

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann said Labor should introduce pill testing without the summit if they won the next election.

"We are listening to evidence, we are speaking from personal experience, that drug testing and other harm minimisation measures work,” she said.