Lahore [Pakistan], November 17 : Over 75,000 people in Pakistan's Punjab province, sought medical assistance on Saturday due to respiratory issues caused by toxic smog and air pollution, according to sources from healthcare monitoring authorities, as reported by the Express Tribune.
Additionally, hospitals treated 3,359 asthma patients, 286 individuals with heart conditions, 60 stroke victims, and 627 cases of conjunctivitis.
Lahore recorded the highest number of air pollution-related cases, with 5,353 individuals seeking hospital treatment for respiratory issues, including 359 asthma patients, 171 with heart disease, 20 stroke victims, and 303 cases of conjunctivitis.
Sources indicated that major hospitals in Lahore and other densely populated cities were overwhelmed, as thousands of patients sought treatment for illnesses caused by pollution.
In response, the Pakistan Punjab government declared a health emergency in the Lahore and Multan divisions, implementing several restrictions over the past two weeks to manage the smog crisis.
In both divisions, schools, colleges, and universities were closed, and all outdoor public activities were prohibited. Parks were also closed, and market hours were limited to reduce citizens' exposure to the smog.
Artificial rain was triggered, bringing some relief to certain areas, but the smog's intensity has continued unabated. The ongoing air pollution crisis has stretched the capacity of hospitals in major cities to their limits. In response, authorities have cancelled the holidays of medical staff and made extra arrangements to accommodate the influx of patients in government hospitals.
However, the monitoring team from the Department of Primary and Secondary Healthcare has reported a concerning situation.
A senior official from the department's monitoring wing stated that the number of patients in hospitals had reached its peak, and it may become increasingly difficult to manage the growing influx of patients in outpatient and emergency departments in the coming days.
The official revealed that over 1.91 million people with respiratory diseases had been admitted to government hospitals over the past 30 days, with 133,429 cases reported in Lahore alone. Additionally, 119,462 asthma patients had been registered, including 5,577 in Lahore.
During the smog-affected month, Lahore accounted for 5,455 of the 13,862 heart disease patients treated in hospitals across the province and 491 of the 5,141 stroke patients. A total of 11,913 people in the province were affected by conjunctivitis, with 1,945 cases reported in Lahore.
The official stated that the situation had deteriorated over the past week, with 449,045 people seeking treatment for respiratory issues, 30,146 for asthma, 2,225 for heart diseases, 1,400 for strokes, and 3,889 for conjunctivitis across hospitals in the province.
A spokesperson for the health department, Sayed Hamad Raza, acknowledged that the situation was critical but assured that authorities had made extensive arrangements in hospitals. He stated that all emergency leaves for medical staff had been cancelled and that treatment services were being provided around the clock. Health ministry officials are also closely monitoring the situation, he added.
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