New Delhi: With the number of heart patients
increasing, Delhi Government today decided to join hands with
leading private hospital Apollo in making people aware about
precautions needed for keeping the disease at bay.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, inaugurating the
hospital's 'Billion Hearts Beating' campaign, said the
government would partner with Apollo in the initiative.
"This is a novel initiative and we will join hands with
the private hospital to make the campaign a great success in
the city," she said.
Asking the state health department to involve over 3,000
Resident Welfare Associations in the awareness programme, she
said lakhs of people could be educated about the disease
through them.
Speaking on the occasion, chairman of Apollo Hospitals
Group Prathap C Reddy said heart disease in India has assumed
alarming proportions and the country-wide campaign was aimed
at making people aware about it.
"The average Indian male is three to four times more
likely to have a heart disease than his Western counterpart.
What's even more alarming is the fact that, today, it is not
just our senior citizens who are at risk; it is the younger,
30-plus generation who are at risk," he said.
The campaign plans to use radio, television, print
media for educating the people about the disease apart from
planning activities such as street theatre and pledges written
on walls.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 18:01