IMPACT OF POLLUTION IN TEACHING HOSPITALS: AN APPRAISAL OF SELECTED TEACHING HOSPITALS IN KOLKATA
Description
Human Development refers to creating an environment which protects the fundamental human rights by ensuring a holistic development of human beings and its surroundings. The health sector being an indispensable element for development of a nation plays a pivotal role inthis regard. Health and socio-economic conditions are interrelated and one cannot be achieved without the other. In India public health sector still occupies a significant position with respect to delivering health services. Particularly, in the state of West Bengal public hospitals (teaching and general) are the focal points of health delivery as West Bengal leads in this respect compared to other states of the country and thus maintaining a healthy environment in the public hospitals is important for both health service provider and health service recipient. With the advancement of human civilization the rapid growth of population along with industrialization has led to an expansion of urban civilization which in turn has escalated environmental pollution as a result of which the hospital environment has also faced the severe consequences of it. Nowadays various types of pollutions have disrupted healthy human life. The change in climate along with poverty has also contributed massively in creating this public health emergency. Thus, the fundamental purpose of ensuring the expansion of human capabilities and widening choices through equality, sustainability, productivity and empowerment is at stake. In this article an attempt has been made to review the impact of pollution on patients in the public teaching hospitals in Kolkata and to judge their perception in this respect. Five major teaching or medical college hospitals have been selected for the period 2015 to 2018.