Three-fold increase in asthma cases in Gurugram

The number of asthma patients in the city increased three times after the Millennium City achieved news heights in rising air pollution.

In a recent data released by the city's health department, more than fifty thousand both old and new asthmatic patients have been admitted to the civil hospital.

In comparison to the latest figures on asthma, there were over twenty thousand old and new asthmatic patients that received treatment for the respiratory ailment.

Worryingly, a large number of children have also being admitted for the same.

The medical experts echoed, "The hospital have attributed growing pollution in the city to be the major cause for rising cases of asthma."

Other than the government-owned hospitals, large numbers of asthmatic patients are receiving treatment in private hospitals.

Earlier, various tests indicated the poor lung capacity of citizens of Gurugram.

In 2015, a test conducted on 100 city public officials showed that over 57 per cent of the bureaucrats had lung impairment disorder.

"There has been an increase in the cases of respiratory ailments in the hospital. Dust pollution caused due to large scale construction activities, harmful gasses due to a large number of vehicular traffic and burning of crop remnants are all major factors towards rising pollution in the city," said Dr PK Garg of Civil Hospital, Gurugram.

Garg stated that while asthma cannot be cured completely, it can be controlled. Unfortunately, the rise in pollution levels is only worsening the situation.

Though patients also have to deal with outdoor pollution but they are equally being affected by the indoor pollution as well.

"Just like Delhi, it has become difficult to breathe even in Gurugram on many occasions. Many times due to poor air quality,

I have been advised by doctors to not venture out. Even as there has been a hue and cry over air pollution recently, many people do not take it seriously until it finally hit them or their family," said Kamini Sachdeva, a city resident, and an asthma patient.