Religious leaders should promote healthy habits: Dr Sushil

HoD Cardiology GMC Jammu Dr Sushil Sharma examining patients at RS Pura on Sunday.
HoD Cardiology GMC Jammu Dr Sushil Sharma examining patients at RS Pura on Sunday.

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 24: Emphasising apparent need for religious institutions and their leaders to play a more prominent role in promoting community health and wellness and to serve as a role model for their congregations, Dr. Sushil Sharma, HoD Cardiology, GMC Jammu along with his team conducted a day long camp at Shiv Mandir ,Kotli Shahdola, R S Pura. where thousands of people assembled.
More than 500 patients were screened, evaluated and sensitised for various health ailments. Blood sugar and ECG tests were performed and medicines given as per the requirements.
While interacting with the people, Dr Sushil stated that the religious community is not immune to societal changes. “Changing health behaviour in the community requires both input from individuals who possess knowledge and credibility and a receptive audience. These religious leaders possess extraordinary credibility and influence in promoting healthy behaviours by virtue of their association with time-honoured religious traditions and the status which affords them, as well as their communication skills, powers of persuasion, mastery over religious texts that espouse the virtues of healthy living. Through such actions, religious leaders can be effective agents in promoting critical change in these areas. It is hard to know exactly what explains this relationship between religion and healthy habits. Some religion of course may specifically prohibit smoking and drinking. The relationship may go the other way, too: people who tend to lead a healthy life style may be drawn to religion for some reasons. Or perhaps there is some other variable that accounts for both healthier and more religious behaviours,” he elaborated
Dr Sushil also attracted the attention of all stakeholders of the society to make their efforts for the complete eradication of drugs and smoke which are the major threats to the younger generation now-a-days. He further advised people to take a heart healthy diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking and monitor blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels.
Others, who were part of this health check up-cum-awareness campaign includes Dr Vijay Kumar Sanjan, Dr. Dhaneshwar Kapoor and Dr Syed Rahella.
Paramedics and volunteers, who were part of this team, included Raghav Rajput, Vikas Kumar, Gourav Sharma, Harvinder Singh, Suresh Baigra, Aman Gupta, Rajinder Singh, Vijay Sharma, Kamal Kishore and Raj Kumar.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here