Awareness rally highlights importance of heart health in Thoothukudi

An awareness rally on heart disease and cardiac healthcare was organised by the Government Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital on Tuesday as part of the World Heart Day observance.

Resident Medical Officer of Government Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital, Silas Jeyamani, flagged off the rally from the hospital premises. The rally passed through important streets and returned to the hospital. Doctors, nurses and medical and nursing college students participated in the rally, carrying placards highlighting the importance of heart health.

Following that, an awareness programme was organised by the Department of Cardiology as part of World Heart Day. During the programme, Senior Cardiologist Balamurugan said that between 10,000 and 12,000 cardiac outpatients receive treatment at Government Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital every year.

He added that more than 50 heart attack patients were treated in the intensive care units every month, while cardiac scans were performed on more than 100 patients every day. Highlighting about the cardiac catheterisation lab that had been functioning at the hospital for the past six years, he said so far around 6,000 heart attack patients had benefitted from angioplasty with stent placement at the facility.

He urged the people to improve their awareness and understanding of heart diseases and make use of hospital services at the appropriate time.