Education, awareness key to combat hypertension: President Pranab Mujkherjee

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mujkherjee today said proper education and awareness is the key to tackling the disease of hypertension which accounts for 11 per cent of mortality in the country.

Mukherjee, in his message to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, on the occasion of World Hypertension Day today, said a healthy population is the sign of progress for any country.

"Good health, as an attribute of human well-being, precedes every other possession of mankind. Many years ago, Lord Buddha observed 'To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear'. A healthy population is a true reflection of a country's progress.

"High blood pressure also known as hypertension affects millions of Indians. It can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke-paralysis and loss of memory. It is estimated that hypertension is responsible for 1.1 million deaths annually, accounting for nearly 11 per cent of all deaths in India," he said.

The President added that the World Hypertension Day is an important opportunity to communicate to the public, information on prevention of hypertension and its treatment.

"Proper education and awareness is the key to tackling this disease. I am sure that this initiative of PGIMER, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital will be useful in educating the public about the need to control and prevent this disease," he said.