NCTC organizes health walk and screening exercise

National Cardiothoracic Centre has organised a health walk and free health screening exercise for its staff, customers and residents of Korle Bu in Accra to commemorate World Heart Day.

The walk, commenced from Korle Bu, through James Town, then back to the fore courts of the National Cardiothoracic Centre for aerobics session and a health screening.

Participants were checked for blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels and weights.

Dr Lawrence Agyeman Sereboe, Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre in an interview with Ghana News Agency said the walk was to also raise awareness that the commonest causes of death in the world were heart related diseases and stroke.

He said the awareness would help reduce 80 per cent of mortalities from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by introducing simple individual practices and change in life styles.

‘‘What we eat can affect our heart especially when the food we eat is low in fruits and vegetables. We should also desist from eating fatty foods, stop smoking and not only smoking of cigarettes but shisha as well. “Unfortunately, shisha has become very popular among the youth and spending one-hour smoking shisha is equivalent to smoking 100 sticks of cigarettes and that is deadly and suicidal,’’ he added.

Mr. Nkwankwo Kanu, a former Nigerian footballer and founder of the Kanu Heart Foundation urged Ghanaians to eat healthy and take their exercise seriously.

‘‘Make sure you eat good, work hard and exercise. Exercising is very important since it keeps the heart beating and prevents heart related illnesses.

Mr. Chris Addo Sarkodie, Marketing Manager of Awake Purified Drinking Water who presented a cheque of GH¢ 120,000. 00 to the Centre said, Awake had been supporting the Centre quarterly to help pay for the medical bills of patients who needed financial support to settle their surgery and treatment bills at the Centre and would continue to do so.