Doctors for Clean Air- TN & Puducherry

Leading doctors from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today launched “Doctors for Clean Air – Tamil Nadu and Puducherry”. The initiative aims to bring together the medical fraternity to address the health implications of air pollution by engaging and empowering doctors. Creating awareness among public about health ill-effects of air pollution and working with state-level policy makers towards formulation and implementation of air pollution control policies and laws is one of the main objectives of the network. The state launch comes a month after the national launch of the network in New Delhi.

“Air pollution has become a public health emergency in India and through the Doctors for Clean Air network, we aim to bring together passionate and trained doctors who will lead the fight against air pollution in their respective regions across the country”.

Dr Arvind Kumar, Director, Centre for Chest Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

“Tamil Nadu is one of the most industrialized states in the country with many cities that are hotspots of air pollution. In Chennai alone, there are pockets like the Ennore-Manali region where the air quality is as bad or worse than New Delhi, yet not much attention is given to air pollution and its impacts on health of the residents by the regulatory agencies. “The apathy of the regulatory agencies towards environmental health of Tamil Nadu can be seen from the fact that the recently launched National Clean Air Program of the MoEFCC has only one city from the state as non-attainment city. Chennai, despite being severely polluted is the only metro to be excluded from the program.”

Dr Hisamuddin Papa, Senior Pulmonogist & Founder, Huma Lung Foundation

The network aims to monitor air quality through hospitals & public health centres, issue health advisories to the general public, conduct health and air pollution studies and will work with the state and local administration to meaningfully address to the problems of air pollution and prepare a road map to achieve clean air in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

*The content presented here is from the press release issued during the launch event*