KJ Somaiya Hospital: As air pollution and climate change increasingly affect public health, medical students will need to look beyond conventional symptoms and diseases to understand the environmental factors that influence patient health. Taking a step in this direction, KJ Somaiya Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai has introduced environmental health and climate-related risks into medical training through a specialised workshop for future doctors.
The institution organised “Prescribing Clean Air: Training Health Professionals on Air Pollution & Climate Action”, equipping 142 final-year MBBS students and six faculty members with practical knowledge and clinical tools to understand the impact of air pollution and climate change on human health. The programme was organised by the Lung Care Foundation (LCF), in collaboration with Doctors for Clean Air and Climate Action (DFCA) and the Mumbai Forum for Clean Air (MFFCA). It was hosted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with Dr Pradnya Shetty serving as faculty coordinator.
KJ Somaiya Hospital Brings Environmental Health into Medical Education
The workshop highlighted why environmental exposure must become an important part of clinical assessment and preventive healthcare. Air pollution is no longer viewed only as a respiratory health concern. Exposure to harmful pollutants can also affect cardiovascular and neurological health, kidney function, and the health of pregnant women, newborns and children.
Dr Mitali Nayak, Dean of KJ Somaiya Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, said that healthcare professionals must understand how the quality of air people breathe can influence their health. She emphasised that identifying environmental exposure can help doctors recognise potential risks, provide relevant clinical advice and guide patients towards preventive measures. With pollution levels and recurring smog episodes posing challenges in cities, the workshop encouraged future doctors to consider environmental conditions while understanding a patient’s health.
KJ Somaiya Hospital: Why Clean Air Is the Fifth Vital
The first session, titled “The Fifth Vital: Science of Air Pollution, Clinical Realities & the Future Doctor’s Role”, was led by Dr S. P. Mathew, Senior Consultant Physician and Co-Chairperson of the Mumbai Forum for Clean Air. The session explored the health implications of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. Students learned how exposure to these pollutants can affect different organ systems and contribute to respiratory, cardiovascular and other health complications. Dr Mathew underlined the importance of clean air in disease prevention, stating, “Clean air is not an aesthetic privilege, nor is it a luxury for the few. Clean air is preventive medicine.”
Chinmayee Kator, State Consultant for Maharashtra at Lung Care Foundation, also highlighted that air pollution and climate change directly influence disease severity and patient recovery. She stressed that environmental challenges must be understood as important healthcare concerns rather than distant environmental issues.
Climate Change and Its Growing Impact on Patient Health
The second session focused on how climate change is reshaping healthcare challenges and why medical students must be prepared for its consequences. Titled “From Physiology Practicals to Internship and Clinical Practice: Why Should You Care About Climate Change?”, the session was led by Dr Salman Khan, Youth Engagement Consultant at ReAct Asia Pacific.
Discussions covered heat-related illnesses, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, infections linked to environmental changes, malnutrition and health risks affecting mothers and children. Students were encouraged to connect climate change with the subjects they study and the clinical decisions they will make in the future.
Dr Khan urged students to develop the habit of asking how climate change affects every subject they study, explaining that this approach can make climate awareness a natural part of clinical thinking rather than an additional topic in medical education.
Future Doctors Receive Clean Air Prescription Toolkit
To translate the workshop’s learning into practical healthcare skills, every participant received the DFCA Clean Air Prescription Toolkit. The resource explains the science of air pollution, indoor and outdoor pollution sources, the Air Quality Index (AQI), and the short- and long-term health effects of exposure.
It also provides guidance on taking an environmental history from patients, communicating air-quality risks and using local pollution data to offer more relevant preventive advice. Participants received certificates and were invited to join the DFCA network of health professionals and take part in future MFFCA activities.
Why Environmental Health Training Matters for Future Doctors
The initiative reflects the growing need to expand medical education beyond the diagnosis and treatment of individual diseases. As rising temperatures, poor air quality and extreme weather events create new public health challenges, doctors must be equipped to understand the links between the environment and human health.
By training future doctors to recognise environmental risks and incorporate preventive advice into patient care, K J Somaiya Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre is taking an important step towards climate-responsive medical education. The initiative also highlights the role medical institutions can play in preparing healthcare professionals for the changing health challenges facing cities such as Mumbai.
