23rd Cardio Conference: 'Change habits for a healthier lifestyle'

Experts warn deaths due to use of tobacco likely to double by 2020.

KARACHI: Fifteen per cent of the country's population smokes tobacco and the figure is likely to increase drastically in the coming years, warned Dr Kashif Shaikh, a cardiologist at the Tabba Heart Institute.

"Eighteen per cent of males and seven per cent females smoke tobacco," he said, adding that 11.9 per cent of the population uses other forms of tobacco such as ghutka, paan puri and naswar.

He was speaking on the first day of the '23rd Cardio Conference' organised by the Pakistan Cardiac Society, in association with the American College of Cardiology, Pakistan Chapter, at the Pearl Continental hotel on Thursday.

In his address, themed 'Creating a Heart-Healthy Environment,' Dr Shaikh said that each year, around 600,000 people die of diseases caused by smoking. "The situation in developing countries is dismal," he lamented. "The death toll will double by 2020, when one person will die after every three seconds."

Dr Syedah Saira Bokhari, of the Aga Khan University, focused on the unhealthy diet and lifestyle that has created several health-related issues, particularly obesity, among children.

Citing statistics, Dr Bokhari said that between 18 and 24 per cent of children are overweight, while 33 per cent of adults face the problem.

"Childhood obesity reduces confidence levels," said Dr Beenish, a cardiologist at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS).

Institute of Health Management inaugurated

The DUHS has established Institute of Health Management (IHM) to promote advanced health services management through programmes and research that provide practical education to students, disseminate applied knowledge, and promote understanding and ethical practices.

The institute and the Dow Diagnostic and Research Laboratory were formally inaugurated by Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2014.