A ‘healthy walkway’ will be opened in all Assembly constituencies of the State to prevent and manage lifestyle diseases, including cardiac problems, Minister for Health Veena George has said. She was speaking at the inauguration of the World Heart Day celebrations organised by the Cardiology department of Government Medical College Hospital and the Kerala Heart Foundation in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. Prevention of lifestyle diseases, the Minister said, was more important than treatment. Special spaces for healthy walks would be identified with the help of the Sports and Local Self-Government departments. The support of the foundation too was available, she added. The Minister said the State was making huge strides in the health sector. Screening camps to detect lifestyle diseases early and ensure treatment had been organised. Screenings were held by visiting the houses of more than 25 lakh people. Free disease diagnosis and treatment are being provided to those in need. Steps had been taken to provide cardiac treatment at district and general hospitals under the department, she said. Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty who presided over the function said the government was trying to make available the most expensive cardiac treatment to all people. Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, inaugurated a medical camp.
