“I never knew that my blood pressure was so high. I felt perfectly fine, but now that I got tested, I see that I need further medical treatment,” Paramakudi from Ashok Nagar said, rolling down his sleeve after a blood pressure test at his local Regional Transport Office in K.K. Nagar.
The RTO might be a strange place to have your blood sugar and blood pressure monitored, but Fortis Healthcare has started a programme with the RTO to raise awareness on the need for seatbelts and helmets. After the session on Wednesday, they also monitored the blood pressure and sugar levels of visitors to the RTO.
“When undetected and unmonitored, high blood pressure and high blood sugar places stress on the body, which leads to fatigue. This could pose a risk; so it is important that drivers above 35 get tested periodically,” head of emergency and trauma at Fortis Malar Hospital Dr. Tharagaram said.
The hospital also calculated the Body Mass Index of the people and issued them a card that they could use if they wanted consultation at a later date. “For youth, the major risk is trauma. When people ride or drive without wearing a helmet or seatbelt they are at risk. It is important people are aware of this when they get their licence,” he said.
The initiative was started by the Regional Transport Officer Chennai (West) Ashok Kumar. “While transport officials can only give advice, when it comes from a doctor, people pay more attention. That is why this programme was initiated. The plan is to have similar programmes once a month,” Mr. Ashok Kumar said.
