Aims to spread awareness about strokes
St. Martha’s Hospital had a team of doctors, medical staff, recovering stroke patients and their families participating in the walkathon organized by the Bangalore Stroke Support Group (BSSG) on October 17th, Saturday at 6.30AM, beginning at Freedom Park.
This walkathon was conducted to increase general awareness on medical symptoms of stroke and the immediate medical care that is necessary. The walkathon also served to enlighten people on the advancements in medical care for stroke patients. Most importantly, it aimed to spread the word about the presence of a support group for both patients and their family members.
Dr.Santhosh Hegde, Former Lokayuktha, Dr.Devi Shetty, Cardiac Surgeon, Mr.Raghavendra Rajkumar were present at the inauguration.
Speaking during the inauguration Dr.Santhosh Hegde said “People should know more about health. By organizing this walkathon we are reaching out to the people about strokes and treating it timelyâ€.
Expressing happiness on the creation and the work of the BSSG, Jayakar Jerome, the Director of St. Martha’s Hospital says, “Across the city, we have dedicated support groups for cancer, thalassemia and other such ailments. There was a lacuna as far as stroke patients were concerned. As a medical institution we believe that we must do everything in our power to further the cause of such groups and let more people know of its existence.
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Speaking on the walkathon, G T Subhash, President, BSSG says, “Commonly, people suffer from Ischemic strokes that are a result of blockages. What people are unaware of is the fact that if they seek medical help within 3 to 4.5 hours of the strokes, the blockages may be removed with medication and the possibility of brain related disabilities are reduced significantly. We hope to increase awareness through this walkathon and through activities on World Stroke Dayâ€
Dr.Anil Ramakrishna, Neurologist at St. Martha’s Hospital and executive committee member of BSSG says, “This walkathon is a precursor to World Stroke Day that is celebrated on October 29th. Participants of the walkathon were Neurologists from across the city, speech therapists, physiotherapists as well as other medical and non-medical support staff related to stroke care. All the hospitals coordinated very well and made this event a successâ€.
Besides St. Martha’s, other reputed private hospitals like Manipal Hospital, BGS Hospital, M.S Ramaiah Hospital, NH Mazumdar Hospital, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital were present at the Walkathon.
About St. Martha’s Hospital
St.Martha’s Hospital on Nrupathunga Road was founded in 1886 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Order. What began with only 50 beds has today grown into a multi-specialty hospital with over 550 beds. Offering health care across all major specialities such as Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Urology, Cardiology, Neurosurgery and more, St. Martha’s Hospital has never lost sight of the fact that the underprivileged too need medical care. The hospital offers free medical care to deserving patients when needed.
