‘Ensure potable water to reduce 30% of disease burden’

LUCKNOW: About 30% of disease burden can be avoided by ensuring access to safe drinking water and eliminating malnutrition among people, said Prof Kauser Usman, HoD, geriatric medicine while delivering his lecture at the UP chapter of association of physicians of India “UP-APICON-2019,” held at KGMU on Saturday.

“We know certain facts like majority of diseases are caused by poor diet, bad lifestyle and several environmental reasons, but still we buy, eat or consume unwanted things, besides indulge in overeating, physical inactivity and take stress to make way for diseases,” said Prof Usman.

He said, “We need to focus on the basics such as food we consume and activities we do during the day, besides emphasis on patient education, counselling for lifestyle choices, sanitation, hygiene and vaccination.”

According to him, physical activity reduces risk of premature death, hypertension, diabetes and colon cancer.

ORGAN RECIPIENT’ S KIN TRY TO RECIPROCATE GESTURE

A family which had received a cadaveric organ transplant a year ago came forward to donate the organs of a family member who was declared brain dead due to brain hemorrhage.

The 58-year-old woman was admitted to a private hospital on September 18 and was later declared brain dead. The family,

in which another woman had received kidney from a brain dead patient a year ago, came forward and contacted the doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) for organ donation.

“The process of organ donation started late on Friday night after the family agreed to donate cornea, liver and both kidneys. But when the organs were retrieved only the cornea was found fit for donation,” said Prof Abhijit Chandra, who heads the transplant programme at the KGMU and has done six liver transplants this year.

“The family came forward on their own to donate organs, as they were aware citizens,” said Prof Chandra.