Chandigarh
29 September 2017
DIVYA AZAD
Fortis Hospital, Mohali today celebrated World Heart Day in a unique manner by carrying out an awareness campaign titled Power Your Heart. It informed people about precautions to keep heart healthy in a fun-filled event at Elante Mall here.
Deep Karan Singh, a popular singer andPrince Rakhdi, a well-known lyricist were the chief guests at the event. The presence of singer Deep Karan as the “Power Your Heart – Youth Icon” for Fortis Hospital Mohali, drew crowds of fans to see a glimpse of him and listen to his hit -singles. He ran over 500 steps on the treadmill to encourage youngsters around him to do the same. The successful ones won heart- shaped key chain.
Deep Karan said, “Exercise is the key to a healthy heart. It takes a few minutes of dedicated exercise each day to power your heart. I am here to support the cause of Fortis Mohali because I too believe that a powerful heart is the key to a healthy and happy life.”Prince Rakhdi said, “I maintain a healthy exercise routine to ensure that my body and mind stay active. My mantra is – a powerful heart leads to a powerful mind.” The audience cheered as Isha Kakaria, the event anchor, encouraged the young and the elderly to walk/run 500 steps to increase the Step-O-Meter. At the end of the evening, the total number of steps walked on the treadmills by the participants were counted. Prime Sports, the equipment partner for the event supported the event whole heartedly.
According to Mr Ashish Bhatia, COO (North and East), Fortis Group, “This is an excellent initiative by the hospital to promote good health. It’s nice to see the audience participating enthusiastically. A healthy lifestyle is definitely the key to a healthy heart. I would like to thank Deep Karan and Prince Rakhdi to come forward as youth icons to encourage youth to exercise, eat healthy, live healthy and we hope more stars will come forward to support health initiatives.”
Dr. Gurbir Singh, Regional Medical Director (North and East), Fortis Healthcare, said, “Put your ‘heart’, soul and thoughts into exercise and your body shall bless you.” Addressing the media Mr Abhijit Singh, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital, Mohali said, “The objective of the event was to encourage people to take out time, even if it is 15 minutes a day to exercise. People who maintain a healthy routine tend to live longer and suffer through lesser heart ailments. Exercise and a stress- free life are the keys to a healthy heart. The week has been jam- packed with various events across the tri-city aiming to spread awareness about ways to prevent cardiac problems.
Meanwhile, Fortis Mohali organised a series of events during the week to mark World Heart Day. The hospital also organized a quiz for Pensioner Welfare Association Mohali. The initiative was spearheaded by Dr Arun Kochar, Senior Consultant Cardiology, Fortis Mohali. The quiz questions comprised tips and precautions that one should take for a health heart. The elderly audience was excited about the token prizes that were distributed for answering questions correctly.
During the week, the hospital organized a ‘Basic Life Support Training Workshop’ for more than 80 teachers from 35 schools across the Tri-city. A BLS training was imparted by the hospital’s ACLS & BLS trained instructors. Dr Arun Kumar, Senior Consultant, Critical Care Unit along with Dr Parvinder Chawla, Consultant, Internal Medicine and Dr Rahatdeep Brar, Senior Consultant, Radiology led the event. The attendees were educated about the initial assessment of the person seen collapsing or found collapsed and when and how to give CPR. The training was focused on chest compressions, infant CPR and timely identification of Heart attack and brain attack (stroke). They were also informed about the role first aid play during such incidents, and also the role of automated external defibrillators (AED). The workshop was a highly interactive one. The participants viewed videos made by the American Heart Association followed by a practice session of the various steps of resuscitation on adult and infant mannequins.
Dr. Karun Behal, Senior Consultant, Cardiology, Fortis Hospital Mohali delivered a talk to members of CGPA on “How to avoid Heart attacks.” During the talk he stressed that, “Good control of BP, Cholesterol, DM with regular follow up with your physician is very important. Psychosocial stress is a major risk factor for heart disease. Destress yourself by regular exercise, meditation, yoga or laughter therapy. Regular exercise for is extremely beneficial. The exercise could be in the form of brisk walk, jogging, cycling, swimming etc. Before anyone starts a new exercise programme, especially after 35years of age, a baseline TMT is mandatory. He said that one must take an immediate opinion of a cardiologist in case of suspected symptoms of heart pain in the form of chest pain, heaviness or constriction in the middle of the chest reaching the arms or throat. Such symptoms, along with choking feeling and cold sweating, need immediate attention.”
