Drive Against Cardiac Diseases Launched

Author: 
Mohammed Rasooldeen, Arab News
Publication Date: 
Thu, 2008-01-03 03:00

RIYADH, 3 January 2008 — A national campaign against cardiac diseases was launched yesterday in the capital to heighten public awareness both in terms of preventive and curative measures of the disease.

Launching the program, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Mazroah, executive director of medical affairs at King Fahd Medical City (KFMC), said that the time has come to take concerted action to fight the disease.

“We are taking the program to the doorsteps of the people since they come to the hospital only when they have medical complaints,” he said.

The program, which is dubbed “Yes, Now I Know,” will be carried out in shopping malls throughout the Kingdom. The program is being sponsored by KFMC’s Prince Salman Cardiac Center with active support from Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al Manie.

Detailing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the Kingdom, Dr. Mustafa Adil Al-Youssef, chairman of the Prince Salman Cardiac Center, said that the available data indicates that only five percent of Saudis are cardiac patients. “It should be much more because 26 percent of the Kingdom’s population is diabetic,” he said.

According to a recent WHO report, cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death globally and is projected to remain in that position for a long time.

An estimated 17.5 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2005, representing 30 percent of all global deaths.

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