By Muniratu Akweley Issah
Accra, Oct 3, GNA – Colonel Richard Mensah, Commanding Officer, 37 Military Hospital, says ensuring a healthy lifestyle and management of stress can help prevent cardiovascular diseases in the country.
Col. Mensah said many of the heart diseases and deaths that affect people could be preventable when the individual ensures changes in lifestyle such as eating healthy foods, regular exercise, managing stress and avoidance of tobacco and exposure to smoking and the need to limit the intake of alcohol.
He made this recommendation at the 37 military Hospital, on the facility’s Maiden celebration of World Heart Day in partnership with Medtronic and East Cantonment Pharmacy Limited (ECPL), on the theme; “Use Heart for a Healthy Heart”.
World Heart Day is observed on September 29 every year to raise awareness and educate the public about heart disease and preventive measures that could help prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, being the leading cause of deaths globally and these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CVDs were the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year.
The Commanding Officer, 37 Military Hospitals said many of the heart related diseases were caused by lifestyle which could be avoided, adding that eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, low saturated fats, whole grains, reducing salt and sugar intake as well as avoiding tobacco, exposure to smoke and regular exercising to save people from heart diseases.
“As we have gathered to mark this year’s World Heart Day celebration, let us reflect on the importance of proactive measures in protecting our hearts.”
“Physical activities not only strengthen our hearts but also contribute to the overall wellbeing of the individual, we should aim for at least 150 minutes (two and a half hours) of moderate intensity exercise each week,” he added.
He advised the public to ensure regular check-ups including Hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol as they continued to be contributing factors to heart diseases.
Colonel Kwame Acheampong Adomako, Head of Cardiothoracic Unit of the 37 Military Hospital said the rate at which people lost their lives due to heart related diseases was alarming, hence early detection and timely interventions could save many lives.
He stressed that cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death in the world presently, more than malaria, HIV and accidents, among others.
“Every year about 18.6 million people in the whole world die annually from heart related diseases, that shows the burden of what we are dealing with, and it is not only the patient who suffers, immediate family and the nation as whole losses,” he said.
Wing Commander, Benjamin Toboh, Physician Specialist, 37 Military Hospital said the celebration of the world heart day was necessary due to the increasing number of persons affected by heart related diseases.
“Every two seconds, somebody dies from cardiovascular diseases and that has made it particularly important to raise awareness about our hearts. Our health seeking behaviour is terrible, if you have a problem, just go for a check-up, do not wait till you are in crisis or attack,” he said.
Medtronic and East Cantonment Pharmacy Limited, Major sponsors of the 37 Military Hospital urged the public to heed to advice and protect their hearts.
The symposium brought together staff and medical experts of the 37 military hospital, representatives from sister security agencies, who contributed to the discussion and call on everyone to take steps in protecting the heart.
The facility will on October 2 and 3, organise a free vitals and ECG screening at the Cardiothoracic Unit of the 37 military Hospital.
GNA