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Mega OPD Camp organized by Fortis Escorts at Jammu


Cinosural International An Elementry School Jammu

 

 

 

Jammu, March 22: A mega camp was organized by Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Jammu today to screen patients. The team of doctors led by Dr. T S KlerExecutive Director, Cardiac Sciences,Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI)Dr Vijay Kher, Chairman, Urology & Renal Transplantation, Fortis Escorts Kidney and Urology Institute (FEKUI) andDrAjay Kumar, Executive Director, Gastroenterology, Fortis Escorts Liver and Digestive Institute (FELDI), New Delhiscreened almost 75 patients at the day-long camp. The patients hailed from areas in and  around Jammu I the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The objective of the OPD was to offer quality healthcare access facilities to incoming patients in the region as the city does not have proper or fully equipped hospitals or health centres and only a few nursing homes. Overall the camp revealed some interesting and surprising trends from the region. Many of the patients screened suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes or symptoms of kidney disease including kidney stones.Many of them also complained of chronic gastro-intestinal problems. All the patients screened at the camp were counseled on preventive and corrective measures that can be taken to prevent/manage their health, which included advisories on diet, mild exercises and suggestions on transplants where required.

 

According to Dr T S Kler,“Although less prevalent than in urban settings, the presentations at the camp revealed that rural population and those residing in Tier II cities are also equally vulnerable to non-communicable diseases/lifestyle diseases as their urban counterparts. Lack of awareness about preventive health and high tobacco consumption presents several risk factors to cardio-vascular diseases. Considerable public awareness needs to be created to tackle other related degenerative diseases among both urban and rural populations today. Faulty diets, low levels of awareness and delay in treatment are some key factors about which the public needs to be advised about.”

 

Dr Vijay Kher shared that“OPD camps such as this offer us a vital opportunity to screen members of the public suffering from any ailment or disorder and transmit key messages on preventive and promotive health. This is alsoan extremely challenging region, where more people die of road accidents than due to militant attacks. There is a need to upgrade the mobile-based monitoring systems of healthcare which can be a boon for resource-trapped regions such as Jammu. The FEKUI  team’s efforts during this OPD has been to examine as many patients as possible within the available time”.  Dr Kher added that the availability of fewer critical care set ups leads to delayed diagnosis of major ailments arising from lifestyle diseases and hence we see patients who present with advanced stages of renal failure, many requiring a transplant.

 

Dr Kumar shared that, ““The biggest challenge that Jammu faces is apart from being part of a strife-ridden region, it has a severe shortage of doctors and staff nurses along with quality health infrastructure. Many hospitals in the state await accreditation by the National Accreditation Board of Hospitals. The State Government on its part has implemented several healthcare initiatives, and there are a numbers of primary and sub-primary healthcare centres. However, there is a need for other stakeholders and health specialists like ourselves to step in and lend a helping hand. This OPD camp is a step in this direction.”

 

As per the Department of Health, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, the total fertility rate of the state is 2.3. The Infant Mortality Rate is 51 and the Sex Ratio in the State is 892 (as compared to 933 for the country).  An overview of the health of women in the state shows that hypertension and orthopaedic problems are common. Inactivity, diet patterns and generally, the lifestyle followed by Kashmiris is contributing significantly to their health problems. Almost 40 percent of women in Kashmir suffer from calcium deficiency. The problem is more urban than rural because of the sedentary lifestyle in urban cities. In addition, above all, public health in the state of Kashmir is also challenged by constraints such as poor road connectivity, difficult terrain, lack of accessibility to health services, and the private sector healthcare largely owned by in-service doctors and specialists.

 


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