Prathap C. Reddy, chairman and founder of Apollo Hospitals.
| Photo Credit: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
Ahead of World Heart Day on September 29, Prathap C. Reddy, founder and chairman, Apollo Hospitals, has urged people not to think they are healthy simply because they exercise, but to continue exercising, consult a medical professional, and undergo preventive health screening from the age of 25. A doctor can help determine if an individual is truly healthy and identify any risk factors or underlying health concerns, he said on Friday.
“Earlier, we recommended preventive health checks from the age of 30 to 60. Now, we are asking people aged 25 and above to get screened. Get yourself completely screened once in your lifetime. A person should know if he/she is free from diseases and is healthy or is predisposed to any of the diseases,” he said.
‘A serious problem’
Dr. Reddy pointed out that non-communicable diseases were among the most serious problems India was facing. These include heart attacks, strokes, cancers, and diabetes, with obesity and mental illness also adding to the list, he said.
Heart attacks are preventable, he said, adding, “It gives you enough time and warning. It is important to detect early and eliminate the risk factors.” With heart attacks occurring at younger ages, he said, apart from genetic factors, smoking, stress, inactivity, lack of diet restrictions, hypertension, diabetes, and family history of heart attacks were among the risk factors for young people.
“We can handle diseases, particularly heart diseases. We perform a large number of heart surgeries with better outcomes. We do minimally invasive cardiac surgeries as well as robotic cardiac surgeries,” Dr. Reddy said, adding that in terms of skills, healthcare professionals — doctors, nurses and paramedics — had proven that they could give excellent outcomes. “Cardiac treatments are improving every day, with more private hospitals providing care and the governments activating their own programmes,” he said.
Dr. Reddy stressed the need to prioritise women’s health. “Women take care of the health and wellbeing of their family. The incidence of heart attacks in women is no less. We are seeing only 25% of women coming for our preventive health checks and this must increase,” he said, urging families to focus on the health of women. “Prevention is best. Everybody should make health a priority. Then we will see a healthy and happy nation,” he added.
Published – September 25, 2026 11:53 pm IST
