PRESS RELEASE: The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh has celebrated World Heart Day this year with various week-long events under the theme ‘Hridoy diye hridoyer jotno nin’.
Following this, a virtual mass oriented seminar was organized through webinar at 4 pm on Wednesday. Lokman Hossain Mia, Senior Secretary, Health Services Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was the chief guest at the webinar. Prof. Robed Amin, Line Director (NCDC) of the DGHS was the special guest. The webinar was presided over by National Professor Brigadier (Retd.) Abdul Malik, Founder and President of National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
Speaking as the chief guest, Lokman Hossain Mia said the country needs decentralization of medical services. At the initial stage, state-of-the-art treatment of heart disease has to be ensured in eight divisional cities of the country. Then gradually it has to reach the district level.
In the webinar, National Professor Brigadier (Retd.) Abdul Malik said the country has a very strong infrastructure in the field of healthcare from community clinics to the national level. If we can utilize it properly, all sort of diseases can be prevented and treated. He added that Treatment of cardiovascular disease is extremely expensive. It is not possible for many to bear this cost. That is why the government should take the responsibility of treating the extremely poor. On the other hand, health insurance can be introduced for the lower and middle classes.
Professor Robed Amin said that 4.5 to 5 percent people in our country have heart disease. The three biggest reasons behind cardiovascular disease are high blood pressure, tobacco use and lipid profile. We need to focus more on prevention than treatment of cardiovascular disease. The present government has formulated an action plan from 2018 to 2025 to prevent non-communicable diseases including heart disease. As part of heart disease prevention, high blood pressure programs are currently underway in Sylhet Division and 54 upazilas of Jamalpur and Kishoreganj districts, where patients are being provided free medicines. This program will be gradually extended to all the upazilas of the country.
Professor Khandaker Abdul Awal (Rizvi), Secretary General of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh gave a welcome address at the webinar. He said the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh is working for the treatment, control and prevention of cardiovascular disease. The Foundation has 45 affiliated bodies across the country working on grassroots heart disease prevention.
Professor Sohel Reza Chowdhury,
Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, presented the keynote address at the seminar.
Merganized on various television and Facebook pages of the National Heart Foundation every day since September 23 to raise public awareness about heart disease. In these discussions, the specialist doctors of the hospital highlighted the various causes of heart disease and the steps to be taken to prevent it. In addition, awareness leaflets on heart disease and awareness text messages have been sent on mobile phones. Apart from Dhaka, the affiliated bodies of the foundation have celebrated the day in different parts of the country.
NEWS FROM Mahamud Setu. Media Manager, Anti-tobacco Program. National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. #
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