With national Capital gasping to breath under its air laden with pollutants, hospitals in the city are witnessing rise in the footfall of patients suffering from severe respiratory disorders in their Outpatient Departments (OPDs).
Among the patients there were many who told The Pioneer that despite taking all the precautionary measures to save themselves from the toxic air, they are still falling ill.
Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday said the hospital has seen a rise in admissions.
“In the last few days, we have seen around 20 per cent in the rise of number of patients coming with acute respiratory problems. Out of this 20 per cent around 4 to 5 per cent of patients were brought in serious conditions where hospitalisation was necessary and they were immediately admitted to the hospital. Also, patients, especially the ones with asthma, from our clinics were admitted as they needed nebulisation,” said Dr Karan Madan, Assistant Professor, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, AIIMS.
While the number of patients with chronic respiratory diseases has risen, the hospital is now also attending those who never had a problem in past, he added.
“Most of the patients are the ones who have had a history of respiratory problems but now the patients who have never had a problem have also started to come. The problem will become even more severe as the winter arrives,” Madan said.