This morning, Head of Gauteng Health Department, Dr Hugh Gosnell joined 150 health workers and patients on a 2.5km Healthy Heart Walk at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
The walk marked the end to Heart Awareness Month. Post the walk, staff and patients were educated, informed and screened for conditions that lead to heart diseases on the stalls that were displayed by cardiology unit as well as pharmaceutical companies.
Under the theme, ‘Have a healthy heart’; the HOD was also taken on a tour of the cardiology unit at the hospital. The unit prides itself for providing a number of invasive and non-invasive interventions to treat heart conditions.
Some of their interventions include coronary interventions, cardio-valvular and extensive pacing services. It provides services for congenital heart disease and excellent clinical heart failure clinic. The unit has the quickest turnover, the waiting list is shorter than seven days.
Some of the identified causes of heart diseases include obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, high cholesterol, bad eating habits and lack of exercise.
In order to reduce the risk of heart diseases, people of Gauteng are encouraged to eat healthy food, exercise regularly, control lifestyle illnesses such as blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes as well as reduce alcohol intake and smoking.
De Gosnell encouraged staff to lead by example and continuously eat healthily and exercise regularly.
“Walking should be part of our daily lives so we can be healthy. It is also vital to check for lifestyle illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes so they can be managed in order to prevent complications such as heart attacks,” said Dr Gosnell.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane
Cell: 082 551 9892
