Kerala - Kochi   

Mass walks mark World Heart Day in city

Photo: Vipin Chandran

TAKING HEART: School children participating in a Walkathon organised in the city to mark World Heart Day on Sunday. —

KOCHI: A number of programmes marked World Heart Day in the city on Sunday. Most of the programmes had a mass walk organised on the occasion, giving the message that physical exercise is important to keep the heart healthy.

V.R. Krishna Iyer, former judge of the Supreme Court, participating in the public function of ‘Fit Not Fat Walkathon 2008’ organised by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the Rotary District 3201, called upon school children, who were part of the rally, to take the message of good health in building a strong nation.

K. Babu, MLA, and K.V. Beena, district programme manager of NRHM, flagged off the rally in which most of the school children in the corporation participated.

The message for the day for children was to check the dietary habits and to lead a life that has sports as a major activity of the day. Cardiologist Shekhara Warrier, Baby Joseph and District Governor of the Rotary District participated in the function.

The school children took out the rally from Jos Junction, through KPCC junction, General Hospital, Siva Temple and back to Durbar Hall Grounds.

In yet another programme organised in the city by the International Association of the Lions Clubs, District 324 E4, District Collector M. Beena inaugurated a seminar titled ‘Know Your Risk’ at St. Teresa’s College.

Heart diseases are not just a medical problem, it is a social problem, said Dr. Beena. A social solution is needed to counter the problems of lifestyle diseases, she said.

In spite of the State’s wonderful developmental model comparable to developed countries, the morbidity has gone up because of lifestyle disease, she said.

Monamma Kokkad, Lions District Governor, presided. Cardiologist George Thayyil from Lourdes Hospital; Murali Vettath, cardiac surgeon, MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode; and Pratap Kumar, intervention cardiologist, PRS Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram; led the seminar. General convener T.A. Varkey welcomed the gathering. After the seminar, a walkathon was flagged off by K.Padmakumar, Inspector General of Police.

Get Walking for Healthy Heart, the walkathon organised by Lakeshore Hospital was flagged off by T.Vikram, Deputy Commissioner of Police from the High Court Junction. Mass Health Walk from the Sunrise Hospital premises in Kakkanad to the Civil Station on the Seaport-Airport Road was flagged off by K. Babu.

The State branch of Cardiological Society of India held an awareness programme at the Heart House on the occasion.

The Director of Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory S. Ananthanarayanan inaugurated the event. Around 200 people attended an awareness class and medical check up arranged in connection with the day

The Heart Care Foundation also held an awareness programme in the city on Sunday to mark the day.

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