Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 22: Believing that health equity among rural populations can potentially be attained through relevant interventions that teach people skills to stay well and avoid CVD-related risk factors, Dr. Sushil Sharma, HoD cardiology GMC Jammu today conducted a day long health check up cum awareness camp at Udas Marg Sanstha , R S Pura in order to improve the CVD knowledge and awareness among them.
He said that there is a plenty of room for improvement when it comes to raising awareness for cardiovascular risk when recent studies found that one in five adults at risk for heart disease don’t recognize a need to improve their health. CVD is a public health problem that is a major cause of death and disability among people living in India. However, rural population bears a disproportionate burden of CVD and an increased pervasiveness of CVD risk factors due to the prevalence of multiple factors viz., accessibility, affordability and availability.
“As a result, the noble objective of ‘Health for All’ sometimes takes the backseat, and we fail to see the intended objectives of various health interventions undertaken to improve the overall cardiovascular health among rural populace. Here, bridging knowledge gaps of CVD through health education interventions, through advocacy and health camps, is an important step towards achieving universal goal of “Health for All’ and advancing health equity, especially among underserved and vulnerable rural groups,” Dr Sharma said.
Dr. Sushil further informed that a burgeoning literature and studies on Cardiovascular health suggested that people living in rural areas generally have reduced knowledge and awareness about cardiovascular health issues such as knowing the symptoms of a heart attack or a stroke. They are also more likely to have low self-efficacy for reading food labels and cooking heart-healthy foods. Limited knowledge and low health literacy about CVD risk factors and associated diagnoses such as heart disease, stroke, and heart failure can hinder CVD risk reduction and the prevention of chronic heart disease exacerbation at home.
More than 250 patients were examined, evaluated and advised during the camp. ECG, Blood Sugar, HBA1C and Lipid profile was conducted and medicines were also given as per the requirements
Others who were part of the camp include Dr Dhaneshwar Kapoor and Dr Anitpal Singh, Asstt Prof. (Ortho). Paramedics and Volunteers include Kamal Sharma, Raj Kumar, Ranjeet Singh, Maneet Kumar, Raghav Rajput, Maninder Singh, Gourav Sharma, Ankush Kohli, Vikas Sabharwal, Nitesh, Rajinder Singh, Akshay Kumar, Vijay Sharma, Kamal Sharma, Ahuti Sharma and Subhash Sharma.
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