The 68th annual conference of the Cardiological Society of India (CSI) will begin here on Thursday with the focus on making preventive measures and emergency treatment more accessible to the public.
As part of its initiative to create awareness among the public on preventive measures against cardio-vascular diseases and the action to be taken in case of a cardiac emergency, the CSI will launch a book in Malayalam, “Know Your Heart and Fight Heart Diseases”, written by 143 cardiologists from across Kerala.
The CSI will also launch a “Heart App” for the public to enable them to get information about heart diseases, prevention, risk assessment and other parameters. The app will also have an emergency button, which when activated, will guide the user with the help of GPS to the nearest hospital.
The four-day meet will be inaugurated by C. Raveendranath, Minister for Education at 7 p.m. at the Le Meridien Convention Centre.
Organised by the Kerala chapter of the CSI, the meet will have representation from five major cardiological societies of the world. Dr. David Wood, president, World Heart Federation; Prof. Mark Creager, president, American Heart Association; Dr. Mary Norine, president, American College of Cardiology; Dr. Jeroen Bax, president, European Society of Cardiology; and Santanu Guha, president, Cardiological Society of India, will be present.
Organising secretary of the conference P. P. Mohanan said at a press meet here that 40 per cent of the deaths in our country were due to heart-related diseases. A study conducted in Varkala panchayat had revealed shockingly low awareness on heart diseases, said Geevar Zachariah, committee coordinator.
Around 5,000 cardiologists, physicians and 200 international delegates are expected to participate in the four-day event.
A session on Yoga is also planned for all the delegates from Friday to Sunday between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. The CSI has also planned a 10-km run from Kundanoor Junction for the delegates in association with Souls of Kochi and the Indian Navy. The public can also participate with advance registration. Interested persons can register through www.csikochi2016.org .
