Heart Run 2017 on Sept 24 expects turnout of 3,000 participants

KUCHING: The Sarawak Heart Foundation (SHF) is collaborating with the Physiotherapy Department of Sarawak Heart Centre in organising a charity run this year.

Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is expected to officiate at the opening ceremony of the ‘Heart Run 2017’, scheduled for Sept 24 at the old State Legislative Assembly ( DUN) complex.

The organisers are also expecting a participation of 3,000 people are expected to take part in the run.

“The run is divided into three categories – 12km Men and Women’s Open, 5km Fun Run and 2km Heart Walk.

“Registration fees for the Heart Walk is RM25 per person inclusive of a free T- shirt and RM50 (inclusive of T- shirt and a medal), while the registration fees for the Open and Fun Run events are is RM60 and RM50 per person, respectively (each of whom will receive a T- shirt and a medal),” said the organisers.

The winners of the Men and Women’s Open categories will each take home RM500, while the respective runners-up will receive RM300, RM200 and RM100.

Those finishing fifth to 10th place will each pocket RM50.

The Heart Run 2017 a fundraising activitiy that aims to raise RM750,000 for two projects – the ‘Heart To Heart Programme’ and upgrading works on the Sarawak Heart Centre.

The ‘Heart to Heart Programme’ provides financial assistance to children suffering from critical heart diseases for them to undergo medical treatment at specialist centres in Kuala Lumpur.

Patients who are recommended by the Sarawak Heart Centre would, otherwise, have to wait for a long time before receiving treatment.

“This initiative will ensure that the patients would get due attention and treatment and at the same time, help to ease the backlog of cases at the heart centre.

“The treatment for each patient is estimated to cost RM60,000 and the programme targets 10 patients in a year. The total budget for the Heart to Heart Programme is RM600,000,” said Sarawak Heart Centre.

On upgrading on equipment at the centre, its Physiotherapy Department requires the cardiac mobile monitoring system units – namely the ‘Cardiac Telemetry Monitoring System’, costing RM150,000 for five units – to be used in the monitoring of patients with moderate to high risk of cardiac arrest during exercise sessions.

As an essential aspect of cardiac patients, it can detect early electrocardiogram ( ECG) abnormality; thus prevents lifethreatening arrhythmias.

“In the event that a patient has a cardiac arrest during an exercise session, the system can detect it and trigger an alarm for the medical staff to take action. The system can also monitor the patient’s irregular heart rhythm from moderate to high risk for up to 12 patients in one exercise session.”

The SHF has been working c losely with the Sarawak Heart Centre in providing the best cardiac service care to the public, especially the needy who cannot afford the high medical expenses.

Apart from the upgrading of the current equipment at the heart centre, the foundation also provides grants and sponsorships to hospitals, institutions of higher learning and professionals in the medical field to enable them carry out research works on heartrelated diseases.