Walkathon Organised On World Heart Day 2021
On the occasion of World Heart Day, Yatharth Super Specialty Hospitals in Greater Noida, one of the leading centres of Cardiovascular Care in India, organised a 3 kilometer long Walkathon, in order to raise awareness on heart health in the country.
Under the ‘Chalte Rahe Mera Dil’ Initiative, the Walkathon was flagged off from the hospital premises at 5:30 am and culminated in the hospital at 7:30 am. The Walkathon was flagged off by the chief guest, Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh (IPS), and Additional Police Commissioner Luv Kumar.
The Walkathon became successful because of the enthusiastic participation of the doctors, support staff, as well as the local residents. Over 500 participants, including those from the Rotary club, Golden Foundation, NGOs and societies took part in the Walkathon, and were provided with commemorative T-shirts and refreshment.
The Walkathon was followed by an interactive session on the prevention and cure of Heart Attacks, led by Dr. Pankaj Ranjan and Dr. Deepankar Vats, cardiologists at Yatharth.
Appreciating the efforts made by the hospital management, Commissioner Alok Singh said, “We salute the efforts made by the medical fraternity to raise awareness on the importance of physical activity and healthy lifestyle for a healthy heart.” He further added that this is yet another patient centric step taken by the hospital for this purpose. “Despite the vaccination campaign, people need to be careful about their overall health, and an active lifestyle is one of the best and cheapest ways to keep heart diseases at bay”, he concluded.
Dr. Kapil Tyagi, Managing Director, Yatharth Super Specialty Hospital, explained that even though a majority of the Indian population suffers from heart-related problems, most people are still unaware about the symptoms of a heart attack. “The main reason for the increasing cases of heart diseases is poor and sedentary lifestyle, and such programs can help raise awareness among the masses.” The purpose of this Walkathon was to make people aware about the prevention and treatment of heart attack. Promoting a healthy diet, walking, exercise and regular physical activity is one of the main aspects of this initiative, which will promote heart health in the long run."
As Officer Kumar rightly pointed out, heart attack was once considered a problem of the elderly, but gradually it is becoming common among the youth as well. Due to poor lifestyle habits such as smoking, consuming alcohol, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle, the middle-aged population is suffering from premature heart problems. Although genetic diseases cannot be controlled completely, bringing about small changes in our lifestyle can make a big difference.
Dr. Dipankar Vats, Director of Cardiology, Yatharth Super Specialty Hospitals, Greater Noida, said, “Brisk walking is one of the best exercises to keep the heart healthy. It improves overall body flexibility and improves heart health while also reducing bad LDL and cholesterol levels. This, in turn, helps in reducing risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes and obesity. It also helps in dealing with mental stress and metabolism hence it is necessary to promote physical activity."