Delhi hospitals see spike in emergency patients as air pollution rises sharply

With the arrival of winter, the national capital is once again witnessing a deteriorating quality of air. On Thursday, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 343, which falls in ‘very poor’ quality for the fifth consecutive day, triggering the risk of health emergency. 

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A study conducted by the top four hospitals on the relationship between rising pollution and emergency cases coming to hospitals showed that deteriorating air quality has a severe impact on human lungs and overall health.

The study that was conducted between 2017 and 2019 included the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi; Kalavati Saran Children’s Hospital; Vallabhbhai Chest Institute; and the National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital.

To carry out this study, the hospitals daily monitored the health of the patients coming to the emergency wards. Also, data on outstation patients were collected, including those living in Delhi for three to four weeks.