STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: With the aim of disseminating awareness regarding cardiovascular disease particularly in rural areas Head Department of Cardiology GMCH Jammu Dr Sushil Sharma held a day long Cardiac Awareness-cum-Health Checkup Camp in association with Punjab Kesari Group in memory of late Swadesh Chopra at Udas Marg Sanstha, R S Pura.
More than 350 patients were examined, evaluated and advised during the camp. Tests like ECG, Blood Sugar was conducted and medicines were also given as per the requirements. While interacting with the people, Dr Sushil said, “The Global Burden of Disease study estimate of age-standardized CVD death rate of 272 per 100000 population in India is higher than the global average of 235 per 100000 population. Some aspects of the CVD epidemic in India are particular causes of concern, including its accelerated buildup, the early age of disease onset in the population, and the high case fatality rate. In India, the epidemiological transition from predominantly infectious disease conditions to non-communicable diseases has occurred over a rather brief period of time. Despite wide heterogeneity in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors across different regions, CVD has emerged as the leading cause of death in all parts of India, including poorer states and rural areas. The progression of the epidemic is characterized by the reversal of socioeconomic gradients; tobacco use and low fruit and vegetable intake have become more prevalent among those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds frequently do not receive optimal therapy, leading to poorer outcomes.”
He elaborated that an additional cause of concern in Indians and South Asians is that they tend to have more severe manifestations of CVD and higher fatality rates.
“Despite having a lower conventional CVD risk factor burden, the incidence of major cardiovascular events and mortality among individuals of low-income countries (96% from South Asia, of whom 83% were from India) was higher than in middle- and high-income countries. The case fatality rates for cardiovascular events in low-income countries, represented largely by India, was 17%; this is much higher than in higher-income countries, which had a case fatality rate of 6.5%,” Dr Sushil said. Dr Sushil Sharma in his concluding remarks told that rural residents face numerous challenges when accessing medical care, including increased travel distance, higher incidence of CV disease risk factors, and higher rates of poverty. These factors have contributed to the exacerbation of rural-urban health disparities observed over recent decades. The focus should not solely be on the referral of patients but also on providing community hospitals with education, training, and clinical support to ensure patients can receive optimal CV care locally when possible, he added.
Management Committee of the Udas Marg Sanstha Bhagwan Dass, Guru Mata Bimla Devi, Daya Ram, H R Dogra , Tarsem Raj, Rajkumar, Harbans Lal, Dilip Chand and Ashok Sakolia appreciated the efforts of Dr Sushil and his team for conducting cardiac awareness cum Health Check up camp in their locality.
Others who were part of the camp include Dr Yashwant Sharma, Dr Dhaneshwar Kapoor, Dr Rajinder Singh , Dr Preeti Bhagat and Dr Ankush. Paramedics and Volunteers include Kamal Sharma, Ranjeet Singh, Amnish Datta, Kapil Dev, Rattan Lal, Rajinder Singh, Arun Singh, Rohit Nayyar, Amish Jamwal, Jatin Bhasin, Vikas Kumar and numerous volunteers of the Sanstha.