Assam’s Dispur Hospitals and ‘The Heart, Sahridoy Gosthi’, a premier non-government organization organized an awareness rally on the occasion of World Heart Day on the streets of Guwahati.
Braving the rain in morning hours, over 300 citizens including youths participated in the rally, which was flagged off by acclaimed physician Dr Jayanta Bardoloi and journalist Nava Thakuria at the premises of Dispur Hospitals in Ganeshguri locality.
Conceived and created by World Heart Federation (WHF), the annual heart day updates people around the globe that cardiovascular disease (CVD) comprising any heart disease, vascular disease of the brain, or blood vessel disease, remains the leading cause of human deaths.
Moreover, it highlights the probable actions for individuals to prevent and control the disease.
Senior cardiologist Dr Banajit Chowdhury, who participated in the rally state that the heart is the strongest muscle in the body and starts beating before one’s birth. Although impressive and strong, a human heart can also be vulnerable from habitual risk factors like smoking, eating an unhealthy diet or putting it under stress.
Controlling these key risk factors and monitoring the blood pressure regularly one may reduce the risk of CVD. The system can also be weakened from a pre-existing heart condition and other physiological factors, including hypertension or high blood cholesterol, added Dr Chowdhury.
“Over 17.9 million people die from CVDs worldwide every year and according to the World Health Organization, more people die from the heart-related diseases than from any other cause and it can be checked to a larger extent by educating people on various risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity,” said Dr Chandan Modak, senior cardiologist of Dispur Hospitals.
India has witnessed an alarming rise in the occurrence of heart disease and stroke in the past 25 years. The prevalence of heart disease and stroke has increased by over 50% from 1990 to 2016 in India. The contribution of these diseases to total deaths and disease burden in the country has almost doubled in the past 25 years.
“The Union government has taken steps for free treatment of the poor section of people having heart disease through Atal Amrit Abhiyan and Ayushman Bharat Yojna. Our hospital has also been providing free treatments to thousands of poor heart patients under these schemes,” informed Dr Bardoloi, managing director of Dispur Hospitals.
Awareness is the key factor in preventing heart disease and consciousness about symptoms like chest pain, palpitation, shortness of breath on exertion, sudden faints, swelling of legs which may be the alarming signs of heart disease becomes necessary treatments, said Nabajyoti Pathak of The Heart.
Journalist Thakuria emphasized an active role by media outlets around the world in support of WHF on the promising day, which takes it as a mission to create a global community of leaders who can preach the people for pledging to live longer, better, heart-healthy by taking care of their hearts.
