With a view to spread relevant knowledge and share dialogues of expertise on the persistent health concerns pertaining to ‘Obesity’ and ‘Overweight’ as well as other related issues that pose major threat to physical wellbeing, PHDCCI conducted a seminar titled: “Obesity the ‘Curse’- How do we Negate?” on 20^th December, 2021 at the PHD House, New Delhi in a hybrid mode. The seminar was well attended by PHD members and other stakeholders.

Mr. Pradeep Multani, President, PHDCCI in his presidential address informed about the alarming situations of today’s world with relation to health concerns. He mentioned that obesity is the most common consequence of over nutrition and has long-term negative health consequences. An increased prevalence of obesity is linked to health risks for numerous non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some cancers.  Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk of deaths, resulting in around 2.8 million deaths of adults globally every year, he further added.

Prof. (Dr.) Ranjan Sudan, Professor of Surgery, Duke University informed about the contributing factors that lead to medical cases of overweight and obesity as well as the medical techniques of Bariatric Surgery. He also informed about the use of robots in the process of Bariatric Surgeries, its advantages such as precision, lesser loss of blood, lower level of post-op complexities. He further gave insights on the correlation between self-esteem, productivity as well as daily life of a person and how all of these get affected due to obesity or overweight.

Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Chair, Hospital & Diagnostics Committee, PHDCCI highlighted on the need for sparking awareness amongst people and severity of health issues such as obesity, along with precautionary steps that must be taken in order to avoid it, such as following a mindful daily diet and regular exercising. He further thanked Mr. Pradeep Multani, President, PHDCCI for his continued work towards promoting better healthcare and wellness.

Talking about the adverse impacts of obesity and overweight, Dr. Deep Goel, Co-Chair, Hospital & Diagnostics Committee, PHDCCI mentioned that, both overweight & obesity are a national health epidemic. Nearly 65% of the adult population in the U.S. is overweight or obese. He further added that obesity is a greater trigger for health problems and health care spending than smoking or drinking therefore all only medical treatment shouldn’t be considered as a remedy, rather a healthier lifestyle must be adapted.

Dr. G S Grewal, President, Delhi Medical Association discussed the need for addressing the issues of obesity well before it becomes a medical case and leads to more harmful disease such as diabetes. He further mentioned the stark need for sustained campaigns for spreading awareness as well as identification of challenges in order to be able to calibrate our collective health and wellness routines.