China hospital opens smog clinic

Beijing: A hospital in southwest China has opened what could be the smog-hit country`s first special clinic for patients suffering with symptoms related to pollution. More than 100 patients with sore throats, runny noses and coughs have been guided to the smog clinic since its establishment on December 9 at the No. 7 People`s Hospital of Chengdu City, the provincial capital of Sichuan Province. Nurses usually guide patients with these symptoms to conventional clinics, but will direct such patients who attend the hospital in times of smog to the specialist facility, Niu Weiyi, director of the hospital`s clinic department was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. Smog-related diseases were previously treated in multiple clinics such as pneumology, ear-nose-throat and cardiovasology, and the reorganisation helps patients avoid frequent visits to different parts of the hospital, he said yesterday. Thick smog has been seen in many parts of China, including Chengdu, intermittently in recent months, causing school and expressway closures in extreme cases. Doctors with the smog clinic will instruct patients about smog-related diseases and their prevention, Lin Qi, associate senior doctor of cardiovascular medicine said.