In a hall packed with senior doctors, discussions were held on how living in urban spaces like Hyderabad is breaking down relationships, stress between parents and children and prevention of diseases, among other issues.
Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya was the chief guest of the India Infrastructure Dialogue Series on ‘Healthy Hyderabad - Accelerating Health Care Transformation’ organised at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Khairatabad, by Foundation for Futuristic Cities on Sunday.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy, former Union Home Secretary and ASCI chairman K. Padmanabaiah, heads of various hospitals, mental health specialists, physicians and endocrinologists attended the dialogue series.
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How health of individuals contribute to the wealth of a nation was stressed upon by KIMS Group of Hospitals’ managing director B. Bhaskar Rao. Casting diseases in a different perspective, he said that people ‘buy’ diseases by spending ₹20-25 lakh on cigarettes, alcohol and junk food while steering clear of exercise and not taking care of their immediate surroundings. Yet, people expect treatment to be available free of cost at the expense of governments or hospitals, he added. With a simple calculation of money spent on coffee every day, which works out to be ₹7,250 per annum, he said everyone can afford health insurance.
Other doctors focused on the importance of preventing diseases before it affects lives, leading to an increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) as people age; Vitamin-D deficiency etc.
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Mr. Kishan Reddy said he has held discussions with Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik about setting up wellness centres in software companies which have more than 10,000 employees.
Mr. Naik was in the city on Sunday to inaugurate the National Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD), which was upgraded from Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM).
Mr Naik appreciated the efforts of specialists at CRIUM for treating vitiligo and other chronic diseases. He said it is perhaps the only medical institution in the country to have treated over 1.5 lakh patients of vitiligo.
Stating that Unani helps in treatment of long-term diseases, he said research has to be taken up for the treatment of new forms of diseases. Besides, he called upon researchers to find safe and viable solutions to prevalent health challenges, such as vector-borne diseases, non- communicable diseases, cancer and tuberculosis.
Additional secretary in the Ministry of AYUSH Pramod Kumar Pathak and Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine director general Asim Ali Khan were present on the occasion.