35% heart patients needing surgery are from the villages

Dr Bedi  at the camp with 2 patient 

Rural Punjab reports a very high incidence of diabetes, high blood cholesterol level and obesity. These, in turn, manifest as cardiac problems. This was stated by Dr Harinder Singh Bedi – Head of Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Surgery at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana. He made this observation at the free cardio vascular counseling, detection and prevention camp organized jointly by the Christian Medical College & Hospital and the Mata Kaushalya Devi Pahwa Charitable Hospital in Village Hambran in Ludhiana.

A very high incidence of heart and vascular disease was noted in this rural area. This was no surprise - Dr Bedi said - as about 35% of his heart patients needing surgery are from the villages. The camp was held to try and look at the reasons for this apparent discrepancy. While it is true that villages have a clean non polluted atmosphere and the pace of life is generally relaxed – but at the same time there has been a gradual change in lifestyle. The hard manual labour is now being done mostly by migrant workers while the cholesterol rich diet remains as before. Consequently the body is unable to metabolise all the calories consumed leading to deposits in the arteries. Also urbanization of rural areas is taking place, and so the urban-rural difference is decreasing and more and more rural people are getting this disease. India in 2010 accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the global heart ailments as per WHO statistics.  It is also seen that Indians had more common involvement at younger age with smaller coronary arteries; diffuse distal disease, multi-vessel disease and higher incidence in women. This could be due to the rising incidence of drug addiction in rural youth.

Also focusing on poor medical care in rural and remote areas, the camp study recognised that people with heart disease in rural Punjab received slower care than people in the cities and were more likely to die before reaching a hospital. Heart attack rural patients head to hospitals in buses or tractors rather than ambulances, and pay for the treatments out of their own pockets because of ignorance regarding health insurance.

Dr Bedi stressed on the benefits of addressing the root cause of heart disease in Punjab. Punjabi diet is very rich compared to that of the population living in southern part of the country. It is for this reason that we are witnessing people at young age getting heart attacks.

One can easily do three things for preventing heart diseases Dr Bedi told the gathering in the village. Eat less fried food, less butter and ghee. Second, exercise daily for around 45 minutes. And third, reduce stress in life. Because of the nature of the work, we have become over stressed. So things like yoga, meditation & entertainment help a person to relax. A special dietary counseling and individualized yoga therapy was an intergral part of the camp.

The team included Dr A Gupta, Dr Prashant, Dr Meenu, Dietitians Dt D Dhillon and Dt Nitya, Yoga Acharya Nirmal Singh, Staff nurses headed by Sister Balwinder Kaur, Mr Emmanuel and Mr William. Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that the outreach programmes were an integral and important part of the basic philosophy of CMC so that medical care could reach one and all in this region. Onkar Singh Pahwa – MD of Avon Cycles and Pahwa Hospital said that they were ready to bring the latest technology to the rural masses so that they can avail of the best medical facilities.  , MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik and Sarpanch Sukhdev Singh Toor also activel participated in the camp.

Dr Bedi may be contacted at 98140-60480 for any clarification....: Rector Kathuria