It was an enriching morning for cardiac patients and general public at the latest edition of Heart Health Forum themed “Health that Makes the Heart Go On” held recently.
Attending the cardiac related awareness program, the audience gained practical information on diet and nutrition for a healthy heart, the importance of physical activity and how to include exercise in one’s lifestyle regardless of the fitness level. Information on cardiac intervention and cardiac rehabilitation was also addressed.
The response was highly positive. Mr Amal Fernando from Panadura said, “This programme is very interesting and important. Very good, and keep us informed if there is another”. Mrs M. Athukorala said, “It was excellent. We gathered a lot of information from all the five sessions”.
A cardiac rehabilitation package was launched at the forum. This is a medically supervised program with components consisting of family doctor consultation, yoga, physiotherapy, cardiologist consultation and dietitian and nutritionist consultation. The importance of an organised rehabilitation program is that it will improve cardiovascular health if you’ve suffered from cardiac arrest, heart attack or are after heart surgery.
The forum opened to a session on Wellness, Exercise and Fitness by Dr Shreen Willatgamuwa, Resident Family Physician and Executive Wellness Centre In-Charge. This was followed by a cookery demonstration of a Quick Fix Salad and Healthy Burger conducted by the resident chefs. Dr Chamara Rathnayake, Consultant Cardiologist conducted a session on Living with Heart Disease FAQs while the benefits of yoga for the heart and body were explained by yoga instructor, Ms Nirojini Nagenthiram. Benefits of physiotherapy were highlighted by physiotherapist Mr. Prabath Jayawardena. A session on minimally invasive cardiac surgeries was presented by Dr Kesava Dev, Resident Cardiothoracic Surgeon of Durdans Hospital. The audience also got the chance to meet with these speakers and have any of their questions answered while enjoying healthy refreshments.
Durdans Hospital is the pioneer and leader for dedicated cardiac care, housing some of the finest cardiac specialists in the country and a fully equipped facility for performing routing to complex surgeries. Its Biplane Catheterisation Laboratory is the most advanced in South Asia opening up new possibilities for vascular, cardiac, neuroradiology and oncology interventions.