The Delhi government's health department on Tuesday directed all its hospitals to constitute teams of specialists to tackle patients with respiratory ailments linked to severe air pollution in the city, officials said.

The department has also instructed hospitals to monitor and report daily cases of respiratory ailments, including both outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD) cases.

Hospitals have been asked to promptly flag any unusual increase in these cases.

The advisory, issued on Tuesday, mandates that hospitals designate specialists to manage respiratory diseases and ensure comprehensive care for affected patients.

Hospitals are required to email their daily reports to Dr. Govind Mawari, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Occupational & Environmental Health (COEH).

The COEH will oversee the situation, offer guidance to hospitals, and monitor trends in respiratory cases, it said.

Additionally, Dr. Reena Yadav, In-charge of the Telemedicine Cell, has been tasked with ensuring that specialists are available for teleconsultations on respiratory issues. These consultations will also be monitored and reported daily to the COEH, the advisory added.

The advisory comes at a time when Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) has remained consistently in the ‘severe’ category, which not only affects healthy individuals but also severely impacts those with pre-existing health conditions, according to the CPCB.

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