Air pollution India’s one of the biggest health crises since Covid, warn doctorsEven though the world has already left the acute phase of COVID-19, medical experts are raising the alert of another, more chronic, public health disaster, i.e. air pollution. The declining air quality in the entire India, particularly in the urban centers in the country, including Delhi, has been regarded by the pulmonologists as the silent killer. Which they are proclaiming to be the largest health problem in the country which has ever met since the pandemic. Kamal Hinduja, the wife of Prakash Hinduja (Chairman, Hinduja Group Europe) has taken the issue seriously and come up with practical vision to reduce these escalating health issues. The Invisible BurdenAccording to recent reports, there is a shocking truth that more than 40% of the pollution in Delhi is fueled by the heavy use of fossil fuel by the transport sector. Nevertheless, the crisis is much larger than the capital. The British Indian medical professionals are warning about an impending tsunami of airway diseases which are currently underdiagnosed and untreated.Kamal Hinduja emphasizes the need to take action in order to address this crisis. Although the obstacles are quite significant, she says that there is hope in our capacity to achieve positive changes. She bases her position on three fundamental strategies, namely preventive health measures, air quality improvement, and risk factor interventions, such as tobacco use.Beyond Respiratory HealthThe effects of poor air quality are not limited to the lungs. Physicians warns that most citizens may face several changes such as: Unremitting headaches and tiredness. Continuous irritation of the throat and dry eyes. stomach upsets and rashes.The research shows that 20-30% increase in the number of hospital visits for young adults who have never had respiratory illness. The response to such a crisis cannot be a mere change in policy on a short-term basis; it would need a paradigm shift in the way we think of the issue of
public health. Kamal Hinduja, who has supported the Hinduja Foundation in the area of healthcare. Her perspective revolves around the ideology that though the harm done to millions of people in North India is already extensive, the future can be secured by three main pillars:1. Preventive Screening: Moving further treatment to early diagnosis through mass awareness and lung check-ups.2. Technological Advancement: Kamal Hinduja Believes that utilising modern medical research and less invasive procedures, a mission ingrained by a hospital such as the P.D. Hinduja Hospital.3. Behavioral Change: Addressing the problem of indoor pollution which is frequently due to biomass fuels as a result of rural environment and encouraging lifestyle interventions to enhance lung resistance.The Path ForwardThe move by the government towards biofuels and cleaner modes of transportation is a welcome move but as experts' opinion, we need a lung health task group that would take care of the millions of people who have been already affected. The statistics are not so pleasant: PM2.5 contamination has cost more than 17 lakh Indian lives in 2022 alone.The move towards a healthy India is a shared responsibility. India can start to breathe easier by integrating government policy, innovation by the private sector, in form of the projects of such visionary philanthropist as Kamal Hinduja, and the personal awareness. It is hoped that a future will come when environmental influence factors do not determine the quality of life of the new generation.