Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) marked World Heart Day on Sunday (29th/09/24) emphasizing the message that prevention is key to beating heart disease, as demonstrated by the recent completion of the hospital’s new catheterization laboratory.
During the occasion, PMGH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Paki Molumi and the hospital’s pioneering cardiologist, Professor Sir Isi Kevau, both stressed that although cutting-edge therapies are important, the best way to lessen the effect of heart disease in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is to prevent it through early intervention and lifestyle modifications.
“We must remember that prevention is the key to reducing heart disease, even as we invest in new, expensive technology to cure heart disease.”
“What we eat is something we can control.”
He underlined the importance of early detection programs to detect heart disease at an earlier stage, pointing out that doing so might significantly cut hospital admissions and death rates, which would ultimately result in cheaper healthcare expenditures.
In order to effectively manage heart disease, he further emphasized the need for greater funding for early detection and preventative interventions.
Speaking about the future of the nation, Professor Sir Isi Kevau, the director of the Sir Buri Kidu Heart Institute, voiced concerns about the rising number of younger people experiencing heart attacks as well as the intake of fatty foods that worsen cholesterol accumulation in the body.
Sir Isi asked everyone to consider the causes of past generations’ lack of heart attacks, emphasizing that our ancestors ate foods found in nature, like fish, wallabies, and cacao.
He urged young people to think about their great-great-grandparents’ diets and said that a return to more natural foods would help lower cholesterol and improve heart health.
This year’s theme was: ‘Use Heart for Action’