World Heart Day: BEST Learns CPR

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in India and a burden on our healthcare system.

On Wednesday, September 28, on the eve of World Heart Day on September 29, Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central engaged with BEST -- Mumbai's public bus transport undertaking -- to create awareness of heart diseases by teaching CPR to 100 plus BEST staffers.

BEST is the the heart line of Mumbaikars as on an average 1.9 million passengers travel by its buses every day.

'This is an unfortunate situation in our country where we are losing young people due to heart attacks and cardiac arrest,' says Dr Ravi Gupta, consultant cardiologist at the Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central.

'Indians are genetically prone to heart attack. Second is the increase in stress among young people,' Dr Gupta added, advising us, 'even if you don't have any symptoms, you must check diabetes and blood pressure along with a stress test, 2D Echo, cholesterol and ECG once a year.'

IMAGE: A doctor from Wockhardt Hospital Mumbai Central briefs BEST staffers about the healthy heart. All Photographs: Sahil Salvi for Rediff.com

IMAGE: A hospital staffer demonstrates CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation). You can read more about CPR here (external link).

IMAGE: BEST staffers practise CPR.

IMAGE: BEST staffers carefully watch a CPR demonstration.

Yeh Hai India

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com

Recommended by Rediff.com