NCC Cadets take pledge for a healthy heart on the World Heart Day

NCC Cadets take pledge for a healthy heart on the World Heart Day, at Andhra Pradesh Police Academy, Hyderabad!

NCC Cadets to spread the message of a healthy heart in association with Billion Hearts Beating Foundation.

Hyderabad, 29th September, 2013: NCC Cadets took a pledge for a healthy heart at a program organized to mark the World Heart Day, by the ‘Billion Hearts Beating Foundation’ – a campaigner against the risks of heart disease and a partner of the Apollo Group of Hospitals –in association with National Cadet Corps (NCC) in Hyderabad, on Sunday at Andhra Pradesh Police Academy. Lt. Gen. P.S. Bhalla, Director General, NCC; Ms. Shobana Kamineni, Executive Director, Apollo Hospital Group & Air Commodore Suresh Badyal, Dy. Director General (AP), NCC; joined the cadets in taking pledge for a healthier heart.

On the occasion, NCC cadets took the pledge for healthy heart – “We, the cadets of the NCC in partnership with Billion Hearts Beating do solemnly pledge to follow and share the SIMPLE 5 SOLUTIONS for a Healthy Heart. We pledge to eat healthy, quit smoking, beat stress, get active and act as torch bearers of this noble cause and promise to spread the message further.”

Speaking on the occasion Lt. Gen. P.S. Bhalla said we are educating these cadets on the risk of heart disease and prevention, how they can make their lives less stressful, good eating habits and lifestyle. These cadets can spread the message of prevention far and wide in the community, neighborhood and in their families. He said, it’s a great accomplishment for getting NCC incorporated in the curriculum of schools & colleges, probably the only organization in the world to have such credit. We are also educating cadets on environment, waste management. Last year an all boys team of cadets summetted the Mount Everest, it was an occasion to showcase their capability if provided with an opportunity. In 2016, we intend to send an all girl cadets team to climb Mount Everest. We have initiated an annual National NCC games event starting with this year and is being hosted at New Delhi from October 20th to 27th, around 3000 cadets will participate in the event.

Air Commodore Suresh Badyal said the level of health indicators in the country are low and need a remedy. This association of NCC and Apollo Hospitals can provide some answers. 1.5 million cadets can be a vehicle to spread the message and make an appreciable difference in the state of public health in the country.

Ms Shobana Kamineni, Executive Director, Special Initiatives, Apollo Hospitals Group said: “Heart disease is one of the non-communicable ailments where the incidence has seen a steady rise in India over the past few decades, almost making it an epidemic. Statistics show that coronary heart disease accounts for as much as one-fifth of all deaths in India and, by 2020, it will account for one-third of deaths. But simple lifestyle changes and awareness can easily prevent its occurrence. Heart attacks have become prevalent in people as young as 35 years. The most affected are corporate professionals who lead a highly stressful, sedentary lifestyle. The Billion Hearts Beating campaign provides a platform to address the issue of cardiac health.”

Ms Shobana Kamineni said: “This initiative is a significant step forward for BHB, for it means some of India’s finest young people - energetic, patriotic, disciplined and eager – will now carry the message of better heart health and help bring about the change we seek. This partnership will be a long-term one, where over the coming years Apollo Hospitals and Billion Hearts Beating will train thousands of young cadets, as we stand united in the fight against heart disease.”

Speaking about this initiative, Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said this campaign is a war against heart ailments, seeking to reduce the cardiovascular disease burden in the country. Such partnerships will help spread awareness in the country, in turn helping lessen the chances of heart diseases.

The campaign aims at informing people about the basic actions they can introduce into their daily lives to lead a healthy heart existence. To enhance and sustain good heart health in the country. This program aims to train the NCC cadets with the requisite first-aid skills, including basic life support, and to certify the NCC trainers.

Dr Prathap C Reddy, said: “The number of people with CVDs is growing, and its impact is disproportionately felt by those in the developing world, where people die younger. CVD risk can be lowered by spreading awareness that helps people make healthier choices. There is dire need to make people aware of the cardiovascular risks that they face today. With this partnership with NCC, we seek to highlight the major factors contributing to heart disease and help families, corporates, communities and individuals to inspire and encourage the Indian youth to maintain their heart health through physical fitness and healthy eating habits as well as by curbing harmful lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking.”

The Apollo Hospitals group took the first step in April 2010 by launching a national, multi-media campaign against heart disease called Billion Hearts Beating. BHB is an independent, not-for-profit foundation established to help India become heart-healthy. It is a national platform that addresses some of the core issues pertaining to heart disease, and how it may be combated through a sustained program of awareness and action. If Billion Hearts Beating had to work, the answer lay in going beyond merely communicating the many ways in which heart disease could be beaten. The campaign had to play a much larger role in actually motivating people to take a decisive step towards beating heart disease, in a warm, personal and empathetic way. BHB’s chances of catalyzing any change would be best by actively promoting a culture of heart health, rooted in positivity and a better lifestyle. This answer lay in getting people to ‘take the pledge’, wherein people would come forward on their own accord and take a promise to do something positive to beat heart disease.

Therefore BHB has developed a simple yet comprehensive lifestyle guide: The Simple 5 Solution – Eat Healthy, Get Active, Quit Smoking, Beat Stress and Get a Regular Heart Check.

The good news is that BHB’s entreaty has not gone unanswered, attracting the unstinting support of Bollywood celebrities, industrialists, spiritual gurus, sport persons, Chief Ministers,the NCC (National Cadet Corps), AIESEC, the police department, and India’s leading publication, The Times of India.

Today, BHB reaches out in a variety of ways: through health camps and free heart checks for the underprivileged, through a strong social media presence that has over 375,000 FB fans, through ‘BHB at Work’, a heart-health workshop for corporates, through AIESEC and special educational programmes.

About Apollo Hospitals: In 1983, Dr Prathap C Reddy, the architect of Indian healthcare, launched the first corporate hospital in India, Apollo Hospitals Chennai. Over the years, Apollo Hospitals Group has grown to become one of Asia’s largest integrated healthcare organizations with over 8,500 beds across 50 hospitals, more than 1350 pharmacies and over 100 diagnostic clinics. The Group also offers medical business process outsourcing services, health insurance services and clinical research divisions with a focus on epidemiological studies, stem cell research and genetic research. To develop talent for the burgeoning need of superior healthcare delivery, Apollo Hospitals Group has 11 nursing and hospital management colleges. These achievements have earned Apollo Hospitals Group several accolades, including the Centre of Excellence from the Government of India and recognition from the Joint Commission International (seven of our hospitals are JCI accredited). In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, in 2010. Apollo Hospitals Group, for over 28 years, has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.