JAMMU: Cardiology Department of the Government Medical College and Super-specialty Hospital (GMC and SSH) Jammu on Friday gave rousing welcome to Dr Raj Dave internationally acclaimed interventional cardiologist Dr Raj Dave, who was here in the City of Temples to the request of Dr Sushil Sharma, Head of the Department of Cardiology Department of GMC and SSH. Keeping in view the theme of this year World Heart Day, a special programme was organized in the wee hours of the morning by the Department of Cardiology to create awareness about the menace of consuming drugs and smoking. Hundreds of students drawn from different schools of Jammu city had lined up with balloons and play cards in their hands inscribed with message of Say no to Drugs or Say no to Smoking.
Along with Dr Sushil Sharma, Dr. Gurjit singh, Dr S.K Bali, Dr. Arvind Kohli, Dr. Noor Ali, S.P Verma (Gandhi Global Family) released balloons, carrying message of anti-smoking and anti-drugs in the air amidst shouting of slogans against drug addiction by the students of different schools.
Interacting with the students of different schools viz. Wazir Janki Nath Memorial, Oriental Academy, Government Girls High School Kachi Chawni, Environmental Institute and members of civil society present on the occasion, Dr. Sushil stressed that smoking one cigarette a day results in a risk of heart disease that is halfway between that of a smoker and a non-smoker. Dr Sharma also stressed upon one and all to shun smoking, the root cause of all maladies. The interaction with the students ended with a solemn pledge to spread the message of the evil effects of drug abuse and smoking to their families and all near and dear ones.
Dr Dave along with Dr Sushil Sharma did complex coronary Interventions in all cases successfully in the Cardiology Department. It is important to mention here that Dr Raj Dave is a Course Director in C 3 (Complex cardiovascular catheter Therapeutics) in Florida and has done all kinds of interventions in peripheral areas as well as coronaries. Dr Dave complimented the work done by the department of Cardiology and appreciated the number and quality of the intervention procedures being done by the department under Dr Sushil Sharma, This coronary unit is doing interventions which are being done at the leading centre in this country and further added that the kind of procedures department is doing at Jammu is at par with any world centre.