Mahatma Gandhi's blood pressure data records, treatment details to be published soon

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NEW DELHI: The details of Mahatma Gandhi's blood pressure records will soon be made public by the Indian Council of Medical Research. The data records are being released by the Ministry of Health as part its efforts to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of The Father of the Nation.

The commemorative issue of the Indian Journal of Clinical Research will be based on the theme Gandhi and Health and is slated to be released soon. "The Father of the Nation had hypertension and was on treatment. We will publish tables to show how doctors managed his blood pressure," ICMR director general Balram Bhargava said on Wednesday.

Bhargava said necessary permissions have been obtained from the Gandhi Museum and other agencies that manage the records of Mahatma Gandhi. The ICMR director general said that the records of Gandhi's health are available with the Gandhi Museum and can be accessed by all. He also said that during Gandhi's era, there was hardly any medicines to treat hypertension and those which were available were toxic. 

Bhargava said that the research piece on Gandhi's history as a hypertensive is being published to let people know that hypertension is an old disease and now perfectly manageable. By bringing the attention of people on hypertension, Dr Bhargava said that they will try and help people take to low-salt diet to fight the disease.

Elaborating on the details of the upcoming issue of the journal, Bhargava said that the issue will focus on the interventions made by Gandhi on malaria, filaria, cholera and leprosy.