Resident docs of AIIMS take out march to spread awareness about air pollution

Resident doctors and students of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Friday held a march in support of the Climate Justice Movement to spread awareness about the threat posed by pollution in the country.

AIIMS Resident Doctors Association, in a statement, said, around 12.4 lakh deaths in India in 2017 is attributable to air pollution which is the leading risk factor for death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nine out of 10 people around the world today breathe air which is unsafe. Premature deaths caused by air pollution cost the world USD 225 billion in lost labour income and a staggering USD 5 trillion in welfare losses.

'Beat Air Pollution' was the theme of World Environment Day 2019.

"Doctors usually have been protesting for their own rights and problems. Being healthcare professionals in Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world, we medicos, MBBS, MD, Msc, PhD students, research staff realise that we need to raise our voice against climate change and pollution not only for ourselves but more importantly, for the patients as well," the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) said.

An RDA member said, "Climate change and rising pollution levels will result in severe medical emergencies in a magnitude that have never been dealt with before. Its high time that people become aware of it and take steps at their own individual levels to protect the environment."