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Doctors for Clean Air

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Inaugural launch Program

Ms Christiana Figueres, Co-Chair, Every Breath Matters, Founding Partner of Global Optimism & Former Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) graced the occasion and gave powerful and inspirational speech that has ignited the soul of the doctors.

Dr. Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public Health, Environmental & Social Determinants of Health, W.H.O. (via Video Message) also conveyed that “Doctors for Clean Air” will give doctors a powerful voice by which they can share their stories and skills to fight this health crisis situation as doctors are the best advocates for preventive action for better health outcomes.

December 4, 2018, New Delhi: Lung Care Foundation in partnership with Health Care Without Harm, launched ‘Doctors for Clean Air’ (DFCA), bringing together more than 40 senior Doctors (including Pulmonologists, Surgeons, Paediatricians, Radiologists etc) representing every state of the country to pledge to be advocates for Clean Air i.e. Clean Air Champions by highlighting the health ill-effects of Air Pollution and working towards viable solutions.

12 leading National Medical Associations (representing over 1.5 lakh specialist Doctors) of India including Association of Surgeons of India, Association of Physicians of India, Indian Academy of Paediatrics, The Federation of Obstetric & Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), Indian Chest Society, National College of Chest Physicians, The Cardiological Society of India, Indian Radiological and Imaging Association, Indian Academy of Neurology, Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists, National Cancer Institute and The INCLEN Trust International, have committed themselves to this cause and will work for Clean Air for all in India.

The Inaugural Program of DFCA is the beginning, and the dawn of a new era of Air Pollution control in India. Our Clean Air Champions will be the flag bearers to bring about a change in their respective city or State.

Various International and National Organisations like Every Breath Matters, World Health Organisation, Public Health Foundation of India, Chest Research Foundation, Clean Air Policy Centre, also witnessed this historic event and have joined hands to fight for this basic human right i.e. “Clean Air for All”.

Agenda of the Program

Clean Air Champions: Across India

S.No	Name	State
1	Dr. P. Raghu Ram Director KIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, CEO Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation , Hyderabad	Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
2	Dr. Rashna Hazarika Director of Paediatrics Health City , Guwahati, Assam	Assam and Northeast
3	Dr. Deependra Rai Head of Pulmonary Medicine A.I.I.M.S., Patna	Bihar
4	Dr. Ajoy Behera Head of Pulmonary Medicine A.I.I.M.S., Raipur	Chhattisgarh
5	Dr. Neeraj Jain Chairman, Department of Chest Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi	Delhi
6	Dr G. C. Khilnani Chairman, PSRI Institute of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine	Delhi
7	Dr. Parveen Bhatia Sr. Consultant, Department of Minimal Access and Bariatric Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi	Delhi
8	Dr. Belal Bin Asaf Consultant, Centre for Chest Surgery & Institute of Robotic Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi	Delhi
9	Dr. Gopal Raval Senior Consultant, Pulmonologist , Ahmedabad	Gujarat
10	Dr. Dhruv Choudhary Professor & Head of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, PGI, Rohtak	Haryana
11	Dr. Akashdeep Singh Prof. of Pulmonology, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana	Punjab
12	Dr. Sunil Sharma Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pulmonology, Medical College, Shimla	Himachal Pradesh
13	Dr. Rajinder Singh Former Principal & Head of Pulmonary Medicine, Medical College, Jammu	Jammu & Kashmir
14	Dr. Parvaiz Koul Professor & Head Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (S.K.I.M.S.) Srinagar	Jammu & Kashmir
15	Dr. R.P. Srivastava Sr. Consultant Surgeon, Santevita Hospital, Ranchi	Jharkhand
16	Dr. H Paramesh Sr. Paediatric Pulmonologist & Environmentalist, Chairman Lakeside Centre for Health Promotion Lakeside Education Trust Bengaluru	Karnataka
17	Dr. CG Raghu Director & Consultant Surgeon, Ernakulam Medical Centre, Kochi	Kerala
18	Dr. Lokendra Dave Prof. & Head, Department of Chest Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, & Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal	Madhya Pradesh
19	Dr. Salil Bhargava Prof. & Head, Dept of Pulmonology, MGM College, Co-Founder Collaboration to Eliminate TB from India (CETI) Indore	Madhya Pradesh
20	Dr. Sundeep Salvi Director, Chest Research Foundation, Pune	Maharashtra
21	Dr. Amita Nene Consultant Chest Physician & Sleep Medicine Specialist Bombay Hospital, Mumbai	Maharashtra
22	Dr. Manoranjan Patnaik Prof. & Head of Pulmonology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack	Odhisa
23	Dr. S.K. Sarkar Consultant, Thoracic Surgeon, Dr Sarkar’s Chest Clinic, Jaipur	Rajasthan
24	Dr. R.P. Meena Head, Department of Pulmonology, ESIC Model Hospital, Jaipur	Rajasthan
25	Dr. DJ Christopher Prof & Head of Pulmonary Medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore	Tamil Nadu
26	Dr. H. Papa Founder & Managing Director, Huma Specialist Hospital & Research Centre Pvt. Ltd. , Chennai	Tamil Nadu
27	Dr. Sandeep Ahuja Consultant Surgeon & Oncologists , Jan Kalyan Hospital and Research Institute, Dehradun	Uttarakhand
28	Dr. S.K. Misra Senior Consultant Laparoscopic & Obesity Surgeon, President, SAARC Surgical Care Society	Uttar Pradesh
29	Dr. Suryakant Prof & Head Department of Respiratory Medicine K.G.M.C., Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
30	Dr. Ajmal Khan Associate Professor of Pulmonology, SGPGI, Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
31	Dr. Pankaj Srivastava Thoracic Thoracoscopic Surgeon, Om Surgical Centre & Maternity Home , Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh
32	Dr. Raja Dhar Consultant Pulmonologist Fortis Hospital, Kolkata	West Bengal

National Medical Associations supporting Doctors for Clean Air

S. No.	Name of The Association	Represented By
1	Association of Physicians of India(API)	Dr. Pritam Gupta, President
2	Association of Surgeons of India(ASI)	Dr. Shiva K Mishra, Immediate Past President
3	Indian Academy of Paediatrics(IAP)	Dr. Anupam Sachdeva, Immediate Past President
4	The Federation of Obstetric & Gynaecological Societies of India(FOGSI)	Dr. Alpesh Gandhi, President-Elect 2020
5	Indian Chest Society(ICS)	Dr. DJ Christopher, President-Elect
6	National College of Chest Physicians(NCCP)	Dr. Suryakant, President-Elect
7	Indian Academy of Neurology(IAN)	Dr. Vinay Goyal, Editor & Executive Member
8	Cardiological Society of India(CSI)	Dr. KC Goswami, President
9	Indian Radiological and Imaging Association(IRIA)	Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Past President
10	Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine(ISCCM)	Dr. Dhruva Choudhary, President-Elect
11	The Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists(ISA)	Dr. Jayashree Sood, Executive Member
12	National Cancer Institute(NCI)	Prof. G.K. Rath, Head, NCI
13	The INCLEN Trust International(ITI)	Dr. Rupak Mukhopadhyay, Sr. Program Officer

Glimpses

Why this Initiative?

Air Pollution is a silent killer, taking the lives of millions of people across the World and causing many chronic health issues. 4.2 million deaths occur every year worldwide as a result of exposure to ambient (outdoor) air pollution and 3.8 million deaths every year as a result of household exposure to smoke from dirty cook stoves and fuels. 91% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO limits.

Concept Note of DFCA

India is paying the price of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the form of rapidly deteriorating Air Quality. New Delhi has been in the news time and again for being amongst the most polluted cities, the situation is equally bad in most other cities as well.

It has been our experience that most of our population is unaware of the damage caused by Air Pollution to their health. On the other hand, the Government, though proactive in other issues like Climate Change, has not yet made air pollution a priority issue. Additionally, few significant steps taken by Government towards Clean Air have been criticized and condemned by the people as it causes inconvenience to them. Main reason for people’s opposition is their lack of knowledge of the severe health ill effects of air pollution and the damage occurring to their children. If they are made aware of the seriousness of the issue, they will not only accept the measures, but will also contribute actively towards solutions.

These circumstances are the foundation for the “Doctors for Clean Air” initiative of the Lung care foundation and Health Care Without Harm, a first of its kind initiative which will help motivated doctors to become the “Champions for Clean Air”.

Doctors can play a defining role in the war against Air Pollution.

Nobody sees the health ill effects of air pollution as closely as doctors, as they see the affected patients and manage them. Additionally, when doctors talk to their patients and families, they are more likely to be able to motivate them as they talk from position of strength. Thus, doctors can be a “motivated motivator”. They can translate the studies across the world which link Air Pollution and health into simple, understandable words for the common people.

“Doctors for Clean Air” will be a network of identified, passionate and trained Doctors who will lead the fight against Air Pollution in their respective regions across India.

The key objectives of the campaign:

India should realise that Air Pollution is a National Health Emergency.
This can only be achieved by increasing public / political awareness about Air Pollution and its Health Ill-Effects. 1.3 billion Indians need to be aware that 2.6 billion Indian lungs are in serious danger due to air pollution.
Influence union level and state-level policy makers and administrators towards formulation and implementation of air pollution control policies and laws.
Develop low cost air quality monitoring systems across the country and issue health advisories accordingly.
Support / carryout any other action which helps in achieving the target of clean air.

Request of Political Parties