Punjab minister cites fall in asthma hospital visits as test of air-quality policy

Marriyum Aurangzeb, Senior Minister in the Government of Punjab, said in a post on X that the most important question about air quality is "What is happening to people's health?" She said the objective is not only better AQI readings but reducing exposure to harmful pollution and protecting health.

Aurangzeb, replying to a user named Benazir, wrote that officials are examining verified hospital data on respiratory outpatient visits, emergency admissions and smog-related illnesses. She said the records indicate a decline in respiratory patients, and that exact figures and reporting periods should be published alongside the findings. She described this as the standard by which environmental policy must ultimately be judged.

The post included summaries of data from primary and secondary hospitals covering 2023 to 2026. On inpatient (IPD) asthma cases, the summary said the data indicate an overall reduction, particularly in 2026, although cases rose in 2025 compared with 2024. It noted that the 2026 figures cover January to October only and that a full annual comparison should wait until after December 2026.

On asthma outpatient (OPD) visits, the summary said attendance was highest in 2023, followed by a progressive decline in 2024 and 2025, and a further reduction in the available 2026 data. It gave October figures of 39,198 visits in 2026 against 97,681 in October 2025, a fall of about 59.9%. The post described the OPD reduction as "significant and sustained" and recommended continued monitoring to see whether the IPD reduction is sustained.