Heart disease kills 17.3 million
each year
Cardiovascular
diseases (CVDs), including heart disease and stroke, cause 17.3 million deaths
each year worldwide, and by 2030 it is expected that 23 million people will die
from CVDs annually, a report said.
Sunday
is being observed as World Heart Day. Every year since 2000, Sep 29 has been
observed by the World Heart Federation as World Heart Day to spread awareness
about the rising instance of heart disease.
‘Cardiovascular
diseases (CVDs), including heart disease and stroke, take lives prematurely. In
fact, they cause 17.3 million deaths each year and the numbers are rising. By
2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from CVDs annually,’ said
Rishi Sethi, associate professor, Department of Cardiology, King George’s
Medical University, Lucknow.
The
intervention cardiology data compiled by Rishi Sethi revealed that over 4,500
lifesaving angioplasty procedures and almost 2,000 lifesaving pacemaker
implantations have been performed in 2011-12 in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The
number of these procedures has increased by almost 30 percent over the last
year, he said.
‘Children
are vulnerable too, the risk for CVDs can begin before birth, during foetal
development, and increase further during childhood with exposure to unhealthy
diet, lack of exercise and smoking,’ the doctor said.
The
doctor also underlined how simple lifestyle changes like giving up tobacco
could make a big difference to cardiovascular health.
‘The
tobacco industry interference in public health policy has been recognised as
the biggest obstacle in enforcing tobacco control laws. Strengthening tobacco
control is one of the evidence-based ways to reduce CVDs,’ said Ehsaan Latif,
director, Tobacco Control, at the International Union against Tuberculosis and
Lung Disease.
It
is an international voluntary scientific organisation working in low- and
middle-income countries to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, lung disease, tobacco-related
morbidity and non-communicable diseases.
Source: http://health.india.com
30.09.2013
Low treatment costs attract foreign
heart patients to India
Low
treatment costs and high levels of expertise have made India a leading
destination for heart treatment for people from West Asian and African
countries, doctors said. According to doctors, the rates of heart treatment are
1/10th to 1/15th times lower as compared to the United States and Britain.
‘India has
now become a hub for heart treatment in Southeast Asia and people have been
flying in from foreign countries and undergoing treatment for various
cardiovascular diseases here’, Subhash Chandra, associate director (Interventional
Cardiology), Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, told IANS.
People
visiting India for treatment are not only from neighbouring countries like
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Nepal but also from far off countries
like Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Oman.
Subhash
Chandra said close to 500 patients had undergone treatment in Delhi alone in
the last one year. ‘Compared to global standards, the rates for any kind of
cardiovascular surgery are very minuscule in our country,’ said Anil Bansal,
chief cardiologist at Columbia Asia Hospital.
Coronary
angiography (a test that uses dye and special X-rays to show the insides of
coronary arteries, the tube that carries blood to heart) costs around Rs.10,000
to Rs. 15,000 in India and around 500 dollars (Rs. 32,000) in the US. ‘I
underwent an implant here in just Rs.7 lakhs, while I was quoted Rs. 30 lakhs
for this in Europe,’ said Bardhan Sarkar from Bangladesh, who was treated by
Bansal.
The most
popular treatments availed of by people who come to India are angioplasty,
where the blockage in the coronary artery is opened and a thin coil, called a
stent, is implanted; open heart surgery where the heart holes are closed and
narrow valves opened; and the installation of artificial pacemakers for slower
heart rates. Low treatment costs are definitely one of the major factors
attracting people to India, but the expertise and trust in the quality of
treatment is another reason for the growth of foreign patients.
‘All the
latest high quality treatment is available in our country and with high
expertise we have been able to establish trust among foreign patients,’ said
Chandan Kedawat, senior consultant cardiovascular disease at Pushpawati
Singhania Research Institute (PSRI). Similarly, even for treatment of
congenital heart disease (diseases affecting infants and children and present
since birth) several hospitals are attracting a lot of patients from abroad.
‘Treatment
of heart disease in children costs 10 to 15 times less here than that in any
European country,’ said Shreesha Maiya, pediatric interventional cardiologist
at Bangalore’s Narayana Hrudayalaya. In private hospitals, open heart surgery
costs Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs.2.25 lakh; for children, open heart surgery costs
Rs.1.25 lakh to Rs.2 lakh; valve surgeries cost between Rs.2.5 lakh and Rs.2.75
lakh.
The
treatment is even cheaper in government hospitals, with the difference being
usually between Rs.75,000 and Rs. 1 lakh.
Dedication is
not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others
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