Heart diseases taking toll on economy: Gen Kayani

ISLAMABAD (SANA): Heart diseases are taking toll on economy as billions of rupees are wasted every year that can be saved by adopting healthy lifestyle, a noted heart expert said Thursday.

This major social economic threat must be addressed and the money saved through prevention should be utilized for national uplift, he said.

Speaking at a seminar jointly organized by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) and Council of Alternative Medicine Physicians (CAMP), Maj. Gen (Retd) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani said we are missing valuable human assets due to heart diseases.

“Families and nation looses experienced people when they need them the most,” said Gen. Kayani who is president of PANAH and former commandant AFIC.

He said sugar, smoking and unhealthy habits are linked with heart diseases.

In his speech Maj. Gen (Retd) Ashraf Khan said that its wrong perception that one is immune from heart related diseases if nobody in his family has a history.

“Notions that women are less prone to this disease and that fat children are healthy are very dangerous for society,” said Ashraf.

At the occasion, Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President of Pakistan Economy Watch said that people are not well aware of cardiac problems.

He regretted that a multinational cigarette maker is the largest tax paying unit in the country.

Dr. Mughal underlined the need for proper lawmaking and imposing new taxes on tobacco industry to clip its use.

He also stressed a massive awareness campaign to appraise masses of damages of smoking and losses of heart related problems.

Colonel (Retd) Bakhtiar Hakim, Jawed Iqbal Qureshi and Dr. Naeem Akhtar Mughal also spoke on the occasion.