The national capital seems to have become a permanent patient with the ongoing struggles of poor air quality which is the only constant in citizen's lives. Delhi, along with Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad, is under a thick blanket of heavily polluted air which ranges between poor to severe.
Despite the emergency meeting initiated by Imran Hussain, Delhi environment minister, no steps have been taken by the government to improve the situation at the ground level.
Thousands of parents are worried because there is a spike in the number of cases of people with respiratory illnesses by 20-25% and according to doctors; this season has been worse compared to the last few years.
Despite being aware of the severity of the situation, there seems to be no sense of urgency on the government's part. The situation is a health hazard for the citizens of Delhi and according to the forecast, the AQI is going to remain poor which is a huge concern.
The doctors are advising their patients to stay indoors to avoid stoking the infections further and a number of Delhiites have left the city to ring in their New Years in a comparatively cleaner and healthier environment.
Dr Rajesh Chawla, a practitioner at Apollo Hospital, said, "The most common problem is that a cough is not responding to the usual treatment for patients who are otherwise normal in regular conditions. The poor air quality is worsening the symptoms for patients of bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, and other respiratory illnesses."
Mothers are concerned for the well-being of their kids as doctors have pointed out that children are the most vulnerable of the lot. This year has also seen a hike in the number of children falling sick because of the national capital's poisonous air.
Dr Kalpana Nagpal, ENT, Apollo Hospital, said, "The symptoms are presented due to the inflammation of tissues in the nose. Most of my patients have a history of three weeks to one and a half month of sneezing or cold but no chronic illnesses. This sudden outpour of patients is because of recent allergies."
Apparently, there is a 30% rise in the patient footfall this year and it is attributed to Delhi's crippling and poisonous pollution.
