Maintaining good health is easy but lack of primary health education and poor lifestyle is making it a complex problem to deal with for a majority of the population, opined doctors.
Speaking at the ‘World Health Day-2018’ programme organised by The Hindu in association with the Andhra Hospitals here, the doctors specialised in various fields of healthcare called upon the public to lead a healthy lifestyle with healthy food, sufficient workout and preparedness to face critical issues.
The theme of the World Health Day is ‘Universal health coverage, everyone, everywhere.’
“In the changing lifestyles where everyone is busy most of the time, one should do yoga or exercise for at least 15 minutes every day. Yoga has become an inspiration in many countries. It gives strength, self-confidence and peace of mind,” said Dr. P.V. Rama Rao, chief of children’s services in the Andhra Hospitals.
Dr. J. Sreemannarayana said that one diabetic case is being detected every two seconds in the world.
“The lifespan of a diabetic is reduced by six years and the addition of a heart ailment reduces it by 12 years. World Health Day focusses on one major issue every year and has brought changes in the way mental health, diabetes and other issues are seen,” he said.
Pediatric cardiologist Dr. K. Vikran said about 7,000 infants were born with heart ailments in the State every year. “In several free campaigns, Andhra Hospitals has successfully operated on over 275 children. However, there are more such children who are dying without knowing the problem. To educate doctors in rural areas, the Andhra Hospitals has been conducting awareness campaigns,” he said.
Dr. Ch. Pawan Kumar cautioned on carbohydrates, fat and other substances that were not good for health when taken in excess. He said every person who crossed 30 years should check for BP and diabetes once a year.
Health insurance
Expressing concern over ignorance of insurance policies, Dr. G. Sasidhar said that the poor response to the State government’s Arogya Raksha scheme was a worrying development.
“It is more important than having an insurance for our vehicles. It’s just ₹1,200 premium per annum, costs less than a tea per day,” he added.
“Having insurance also makes people health conscious. People will go for periodical check-ups and that helps in detecting diseases that show no symptoms,” said Dr. D. Kiran Kumar.
Later, the doctors cleared doubts of the participants in an interactive session.
