In a significant initiative, all municipal bodies, district health officials, and civil surgeons across the state have joined forces to address the escalating concerns related to air pollution. Launched on Saturday, the “Clean Air, Healthy Future” campaign, spearheaded by the state public health department, is a weeklong effort to protect, prevent, and control health issues stemming from air pollution.
The state’s health department issued directives on Friday, mobilizing resources to instill a sense of responsibility and promote sustainable practices for a cleaner and healthier environment. As part of the campaign, designated officers and civil surgeons have been appointed as nodal officers for all districts, with 17 hospitals identified as sentinel medical centers for acute respiratory illness surveillance in key cities.
While the BJ Medical College in Pune serves as the sentinel hospital for Pune, a senior official emphasized that there are currently no significant observations or findings regarding the impact of pollution on health issues in Maharashtra. Nevertheless, the campaign focuses on proactive measures to mitigate potential risks and enhance public health preparedness.
As part of the drive, officials are tasked with strengthening medical facilities to address health issues specific to their areas and conducting outreach activities at the community level based on air quality data. The National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) advisory mandates the submission of a comprehensive report on the weeklong campaign (December 2-8) to the relevant authorities.
Dr. Pratapsinh Sarnikar, Joint Director of Health Services, highlighted that district nodal officers have been instructed to take various actions, including issuing health advisories to raise public awareness levels. Information, education, and communication (IEC) activities using social media and other channels are also part of the strategy.
“Activities such as tree plantation, clean-up drives, demonstrations of waste segregation, along with drawing and wall painting competitions at school and community levels, have been planned under the campaign,” Dr. Sarnikar added.
