Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 1:08 PM
About 35% of his
heart patients are from the Doaba
Ludhiana, 4th April, 2014 2014: (Shalu Arora//Punjab Screen):
“Punjab – both rural and urban - reports
a very high incidence of diabetes, high-blood cholesterol level and obesity. These,
in turn, manifest as cardiac problems”. Dr Harinder Singh Bedi, head of Cardio
Vascular and Thoracic Surgery at the Christian Medical College and Hospital,
Ludhiana, made the above observations at the free cardio-vascular counselling,
detection and prevention camp Phagwara.
The camp was jointly organised by the
Christian Medical College and Hospital and the Senior Citizen’s Council
Phagwara as part of a yearly outreach programme. Free consultations by super-specialists , free tests and medications
was done and besides blood sugar and ECG – a
special test for bleeding disorders
– The PT/INR test – was done for all patients where indicated.
A very high incidence of heart and
vascular disease was noted in this area. Dr
Bedi said that about 35 per cent of his
heart patients are from the Doaba region
. The camp was held to try and look at the reasons for this high incidence.
150 patients were examined at a very well organized camp at the Guru Ram Das Bhavan.
About 45% of the people checked were detected to have significant heart
disease. Besides treatment, all aspects relating to prevention of heart disease
and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle were taught to the people present. What
was disturbing was the high incidence of diabetes and obesity.
Though it is true that the Doaba belt
has a relatively non-polluted environment and the pace of life is generally
relaxed but at the same time there has been a gradual change in lifestyle. The
hard manual labour is now being done mostly by migrant workers while the
cholesterol rich diet remains as before. Consequently, the body is unable to
metabolise all the calories consumed leading to deposits in the arteries. Also
urbanisation of rural areas is taking place, and so the urban-rural difference
is decreasing and more and more rural people are getting this disease, observed
Dr Bedi.
The analytical study during the camp
revealed that people with heart disease in Phagwara and in the adjoining rural Punjab received
slower care than people in the cities and were more likely to die before
reaching a hospital. Heart attack rural patients head to hospitals in buses or
tractors rather than ambulances, and pay for the treatment out of their own
pockets because of ignorance regarding the health insurance.
Dr Bedi stressed on the benefits of
addressing the root cause of heart disease in Punjab. Punjabi diet is very rich
compared to that of the population living in the southern part of the country.
It is for this reason that we are witnessing people at young age getting heart
attacks, the expert said.
Eat less fried food, less butter and ghee.
Exercise daily for around 45 minutes and reduce stress in life, suggested the
cardiac surgeon.
The team included Dr Amy Verghese, Dr
Nirmala, Dr Febin, Dr Cynthia ,
Dietitians Dt Aruneeta and Dt
Navneet , Yoga Acharya Nirmal Singh staff
nurses headed by ICU Incharge sister Balwinder Kaur and Mrs Reeta Vashisht and Mr William Prem and Mr Mathews .
Dr Abraham G Thomas, director of CMC and
Hospital said that the outreach programmes were an integral and important part
of the basic philosophy of CMC so that medical care could reach one and all in
this region .
Dr Bedi can be contacted at 98140-60480
for any clarification
Photo: Dr HS Bedi examining patient at the camp
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