SOON, POLLUTION CLINICS AT MAJOR HOSPITALS TO FIGHT AIR-RELATED ILLNESS

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will introduce pollution clinics at all major hospitals under its jurisdiction next month, as part of a pilot project to treat patients suffering from illnesses caused, or exacerbated, by the Capital’s poor winter air, health department officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.

“The government is working towards controlling pollution levels, and we want to prepare our health care infrastructure for the pollution months, since this is the time when we see a rise in the load of patients with respiratory illnesses and other problems triggered by the poor air quality,” said a senior Delhi government official.

Every winter, Delhi’s pollution hits hazardous levels, fuelled by stubble fires, emissions from firecrackers on Diwali, and the Capital’s local sources. The low temperatures and the calm winds also aggravate the situation by holding the pollutants closer to the surface and slowing down dispersion of particles.

The health official said these pollution centres, like the government’s fever clinics, will have dedicated staff and resources, adding that the project will also be used to gather data on the health burden of pollution on Delhi’s residents.

A second official said the pollution clinics are likely to be opened at Lok Nayak Hospital — the city’s largest state government hospital — and at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital before being expanded to other public health facilities.

“These cases tend to rise especially during the stubble burning season in Punjab and Haryana,” said the official.

The initiative is mandated under the Centre’s National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health’s (NPCCHH) health adaptation action plan — on similar lines to the city’s heat action plan.