India becoming world’s capital of heart diseases

India will become the world’s capital of heart diseases by 2015 and the number of doctors available then will be grossly inadequate to cater to the increasing number of heart patients, says Dr Naresh Trehan, CMD, Medanta City.

Speaking at the heart protection assembly, Trehan said the health profile of the country’s people is becoming more vulnerable to heart diseases, and around 12-14% of the country’s population is likely to suffer from cardiac diseases in their lifetime.

According to a study, about 25 per cent of deaths in the age group of 25- 69 years occur because of heart diseases in India. In urban areas, 32.8 % deaths occur because of heart ailments, while 22.9 % people die of heart diseases in rural India.

Urging people to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to avoid junk food, Trehan said the profile of the people in developed countries such as Japan, Australia and the US is becoming better as they are becoming more conscious of their food habits.

Dr HK Chopra, Sr consultant cardiologist, Mool chand Medicity, said people should start doing exercises right from an early age, instead of doing it after getting a bypass surgery.

Chopra proposed setting up of a Delhi heart protection fund by the Delhi government and also setting up of a health channel for heart awareness

“We will look into the proposal of setting up of a health fund as for us health is an important part of the social sector spending,” Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit said.