Be a Heart Hero – An effort to create Heart Smart Nation

With an aim to create “Heart Heroes” Manipal Hospitals, India’s leading healthcare provider today announced the launch of its World Heart Day campaign “Guardians of Heart”. The corporate campaign will be rolled across various centres of Manipal i.e. Dwarka (New Delhi), Jaipur, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Mangalore and Goa. With the launch of this campaign, Manipal aims to motivate, educate and inspire common man to become ‘Heart Smart’ thereby contributing to the larger vision of a Healthy Nation.

Current projections suggest heart disease is still the biggest killer in India and worldwide. Unfortunately, India is currently witnessing nearly 2 million heart attacks a year and majority of the victims are youngsters.

Under the campaign Guardians of Heart, doctors will provide training on first response techniques during heart failures i.e Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS) for medical emergencies. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) helps maintain vital blood flow to the heart and brain. It is an effort to manually preserve brain functions until further measures are taken and is a proven effective technique that enhances chances of survival.

The campaign will be launched officially on Saturday, September 28, 2019 at Manipal Hospital Dwarka and will be open for public participation. All attendees who undergo training will be certified “Heart Smart” by the doctors. Apart from BLS & CPR training, the cardiology department will deliver talks on stress management, diet control, exercise routine and various symptoms of heart attack to watch out for.

Sharing his thoughts, Mr. Raman Bhaskar, Unit Head, Manipal Hospital Dwarka said, “Manipal Hospital Dwarka has always been at the forefront when it comes to creating awareness on public health issues. We have been doing CPR training to help people understand the importance of learning basic life support techniques. We plan to take this forward across peripheral markets of New Delhi as well. We have an expert cardiology team along with the latest innovative technology to handle all kinds of exigencies. We would make world class healthcare services more accessible to our patrons.”

Last year, Manipal Hospitals organsied a National wide campaign to train teachers on heart smart techniques, which witnessed a roaring success of 25,000 teachers being certified.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Yugal Kumar Mishra, Head of Cardiac Sciences & Chief Cardio Vascular Surgeon, Manipal Hospital Dwarka said, “Incidences of cardiac arrest or heart failure is definitely on the rise. Studies have shown that approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital and about 75% of heart attacks happen at home therefore being trained in Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can make a significant difference and save lives. Main factors causing cardiac failure is obesity, stress, smoking, alcohol and junk food. It is important to maintain healthy lifestyle and incorporate healthy eating habits in our daily life. Precaution is better than cure and I urge people to take up healthy living on priority in life to keep heart ailments at bay.”

Every Year 17.9 Million People die from Cardio vascular diseases Including Heart Disease and Stroke. One fifth of the deaths in India are from coronary heart disease. By the year 2020, it will account for one third of all deaths. Sadly, many of these Indians will be dying young. Heart disease in India occurs 10 to 15 years earlier than in the west.