Odisha welcomes an initiative that may put it at the forefront of India’s battle against cardiac disease by 2025
IF Bureau
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of deaths around the world and accounts for well over one-third of deaths in India. These figures are alarmingly high, but not many know that around 80 percent of casualties from heart disease are preventable. While more than 4,200 sudden cardiac arrests happen per one lakh people in India annually and survival rate in such cases is a meagre 10 percent, a large number of fatalities can be prevented by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
So what is CPR? It is a simple procedure that involves use of both hands for resuscitation through chest compressions. It is an act of emergency that does not require a medical professional, and can be done by anyone – any bystander or a layperson – during the initial “golden minutes” after cardiac arrest to save the life of the sufferer. The procedure has been invaluable in saving countless precious lives across the globe.
However, the unfortunate reality is that very few people in India have even heard about CPR, let alone know how to administer it properly. Thankfully, Odisha – being at forefront of progress in the country across various sectors such as health, education, environment and sports these days – has just taken a big leap towards addressing the issue in a better and smarter way now.
The Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, Odisha, and Sri Jagannatha Service Foundation, in association with the American Heart Association and AIIMS Bhubaneswar, organised a Mass Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Programme on February 2 this year. This was part of a recently launched initiative for training as many as 2,00,000 people in Odisha by the end of 2025, all aimed at saving lakhs of lives from heart attacks in coming years. The training programme, as the first step of the initiative, covered 2000 people, including about 1,000 police personnel, 600 women students from RD Women’s College and Sri Sathya Sai College for Women and from other organisations.
After inaugurating the programme at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik praised the initiative and applauded the organisations involved in launching it. He also witnessed a simulation of the CPR procedure by Dr Vemuri S Murthy, a global CPR Expert from Chicago. Programme Coordinator Krishna Kishore Jasthi, who is also Principal Director of Income Tax (Investigation), Odisha, spoke about the aims and objectives of the programme on the occasion in which 5T Secretary VK Pandian, Director General of Police Sunil Kumar Bansal and Special Secretary to CM Sri Vineel Krishna were also present along with many other dignitaries and police officials.
The event also saw many presentations by doctors and health experts who had come from the United States and other parts of India. Equally importantly, the participants expressed much satisfaction at the professional way in which they received their training amid a well-organised setup.
The Sri Sathya Sai Organisation has been involved in a large number of charitable activities in Odisha. It runs 17 schools and a college, builds houses for the homeless, provides RO Plants in villages, sets up skill development centres, and conducts health camps across the State, among many other things.
The Sri Jagannatha Service Foundation, is a charitable entity established by 22-year-old Abhinav Krishna Jasthi, a Business Undergraduate currently working in the US, who has committed himself to promoting health and other initiatives for the welfare of the less fortunate.
The success of the initiative will go a long way in putting Odisha at the forefront of India’s battle against heart disease by the year 2025.
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