New Delhi: Amidst the escalating air pollution crisis in Delhi, the administration of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, a government healthcare facility in the national capital, has resolved to establish a dedicated Out-Patient Department (OPD) tailored to address pollution-related ailments.
Dr. Ajay Shukla, Director of RML Hospital, affirmed, “We have decided that a special OPD will run for pollution-related illnesses where comprehensive care can be given to the patients and will include a multi-departmental clinic because pollution affects multiple organs.”
In response to the growing number of patients impacted by pollution, the specialised OPD has been instituted, he added.
The special OPD will encompass five departments, including ENT, skin, respiratory tract, eye, and psychiatric departments. Operating on Monday afternoons from 2 pm to 4 pm, it has been initiated due to a significant 30% surge in patient numbers attributed to pollution.
Simultaneously, Environment Minister Gopal Rai, following a pollution review meeting with the Environment Department officials at the Delhi Secretariat, declared the continuation of anti-pollution measures in accordance with GRAP IV regulations until the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issues further instructions.
Rai highlighted, “Anti-pollution measures under GRAP IV regulations will remain enforced in Delhi until the next order of CAQM. Under this, BS-III petrol vehicles and BS-IV diesel vehicles will remain banned. All trucks, except those carrying essential goods and connected to essential services and CNG and electric trucks, will not be allowed to enter Delhi.”
Addressing the issue of firecrackers during Diwali, the Environment Minister emphasised the existing prohibition on the production, storage, and sale of fireworks in Delhi. He expressed concern that despite these restrictions, firecrackers were being brought into Delhi from neighbouring states, pointing out the challenges in monitoring and enforcement across police forces under different political jurisdictions.
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