JOIN USIt’s the perfect time for chemists to enjoy the huge profits that they are incurring out of their sales of medicines and medical equipments, though, unfortunately, at the cost of the well-being of a lot of people. Their sales curve has taken a northward direction and is going parallel to the city’s pollution.
Increasing pollution in the City has led to the unfortunate and premature deaths of many. Delhi, considered to be the eighth most polluted metropolis in the world, has led to the early death of several citizens due to her ever-increasing pollution levels.
The all India sales manager of German Remedies, a multi-national pharma company, Malay Chakraborty, informs Metrolife, “Doctors frequently prescribe inhalers for immediate relief. Inhalers are mostly steroid-based and frequent and long term usage causes severe side-effects. Asthma is a hereditary problem. For pollution related problems, inhaler is not the solution.”
“The pollution level is increasing due to the number of vehicles. The total number of vehicles in Delhi is much more than the sum of the number of vehicles in the three major metropolitan cities. Even vehicles coming from NCR are causing a lot of pollution since they are not checked properly,” says Malay.
Air pollution has always been a serious problem that worsens the condition of those suffering from respiratory diseases. “Majorly affected are schoolchildren aged between six to twelve. They suffer from cough-related problems throughout the year,” adds Malay.
When spoken to Sheel Kumar, environmentalist and manager in the curriculum development of Environmental Science and Geography at Delhi University, regarding chemists who sell inhalers without the doctor’s prescription, he firmly says, “This should be strictly prohibited. A doctor’s recommendation is a must.”
“The concentration of pollutants in the city is much higher than any of the other cities in India. Nebulisers, when used without any protection, may affect asthma patients severely. Nebulisers should only be used under restricted conditions or they can directly burn the heart,” informs Sheel.
“Inhalers should be used only in cases of emergency. In severe cases, a person should get admitted to the hospital for proper treatment,” further advises Sheel.
“People get so addicted to inhalers that later on, even when the inhaler becomes useless, the patient still needs it. A person’s longevity comes to an end,” says Sheel. He adds, “Either, children between the age group of five to fifteen get affected the most or it’s the age group of 30-35.”
Dr Saikiran Chaudhuri is a consultant at the Delhi Heart and Lung Institute mentions that, “Nebulisers can lead to psychological diseases. A medication can be steroid-based and oral steroids often lead to lung infections.”