Awareness and R&D in heart care is negligible

CHENNAI: Research and development in cardiology are conducted in very negligible quantities and amount to only 0.9 per cent of the total research worldwide, revealed Dr A Muruganathan, president-elect of the Association of Physicians of India (API). He also said physicians must be go-getters when it comes to research in the medical field.    Participation of Indian physicians in international medical conferences was very low, he said and added that this led to lesser exposure and failure to keep abreast of latest trends.He was speaking at the inauguration of Global Hospitals' Global Heart Watch — a health awareness initiative. Muruganathan also urged cardiologists to train general physicians in simple cardiac treatment. He claimed that 80 per cent of cardiac issues were curable, provided the right treatment was given at the right time. On the importance of CPR treatment, he said that low awareness among people on basic treatments like Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was hampering the efforts of cardiologist, he added. According to Indian Medical Association (IMA) reports, India which is witnessing a high GDP growth, is slowly becoming a major victim of cardiac ailments, he said.  Treating cardiac patients during the golden hour with CPR gives an advantage. Dr K Ravindranath, Chairman Global Hospitals, said that they would strive to reach people and spread awareness, in partnership with the Indian Medical Association.