Daily Times

A two-day international conference on “Cardiovascular Diseases, a Threat to National Development” was organized by the Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) Rawalpindi to discuss causes of rising heart diseases, suggestions for prevention, awareness and the importance of simple lifestyle changes.

President PANAH Major General (R) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani thanked the participants of the conference and termed the increase in heart diseases a matter of concern and appealed to authorities concerned to take emergent steps to curb the disease rise.

While General Secretary Sanaullah Ghumman informed everyone about the aims and objectives of PANAH and the importance of the conference.

The participants of the conference said that this conference, which was organized to highlight the importance of heart diseases, was of very important nature.

The overall objectives of the conference were to bring together local and international researchers, academics, and policy makers on a single platform to help promote the importance of timely treatment and research and make recommendations for the prevention of heart diseases. The importance of healthy diet for reducing coronary heart diseases (CAD) in Pakistan could be stimulated and the causes of diseases can be addressed. Participants cited tobacco use as a major cause of heart disease.

The participants said that they were hopeful that the conference would help work together with a new determination to tackle the growing burden of heart diseases.

On the occasion, PANAH distributed gifts and certificates to five young bloggers who have written excellent blogs on the harms of sugary drinks which were considered as a major cause of deadly diseases including obesity, heart, diabetes and other CDs. Chairman Science Foundation Prof. Dr. Shahid Mehmood also announced a cash prize of Rs 10,000 for each bloggers for encouraging bloggers.

Vice Chancellor of Riphah University, Hassan Mohammad Khan, Chairman Science Foundation Prof. Dr. Shahid Mehmood Beig, Commandant AFIC Major General Muhammad Afsheen Iqbal, Lieutenant General (R) Azhar Rashid, Major General Naseer Ahmed Samoor, Prof. Dr. Anjum Jalal, Prof. Col. (R) Dr. Junaid Saleem, Dr. Ayesha Mohi-ud-Din, Dr. Mujtaba Qadri,Dr Hamza Azhar Ghauri, Major General Khurram Shehzad attended as special guest. While a large number of national and international health professionals, researchers, teachers, students, bloggers, civil society and PANAH members attended.