New Delhi, Nov 10 (UNI) Health Minister JP Nadda on Friday took stock of the situation in the national capital where the air quality continued to be a health hazard for the third consecutive day and directed officials and heads of all Central Government hospitals to keep a close watch on the situation.
The Union Health & Family Welfare Minister, who had been busy with the Himachal Pradesh polls, reviewed the preparations in the hospitals to deal with the patient load and directed the hospitals to take all measures to stock adequate quantities of nebulisers and related equipment and to be ready to meet with any exigency.
Noting that the recent spike in air pollution levels in Delhi NCR and its surrounding areas had become a cause of serious concern, experts at today's review meeting stated that the number of cases being reported of breathing troubles and respiratory diseases varied day to day. According to health experts, higher air pollution level could result in increased burden of disease from stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and both chronic and acute respiratory disease, including asthma. In the short run, higher air pollution level may result in increase in severity of symptoms of respiratory diseases, they opined.
The Health Ministry which has been monitoring the situation, had on Thursday issued a health advisory for the citizens. A meeting was chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Secretary yesterday with the participation of Central Government hospitals -- Safdarjung Hospital, RML Hospital, LHMC and associated hospitals and AIIMS, New Delhi.
Representatives of National Centre for Disease Control and Mininstry of Environment Forest & Climate Change also attended the meeting where the impact on health due to increased air pollution level in Delhi NCR region was reviewed and necessary instructions issued, an official release here said.
UNI SD SNU 1750