Karnataka: With three PDOs deaths in a year, DK ZP to conduct health checkups for them

MANGALURU: The Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat (ZP) will conduct health screenings for nearly 300 panchayat development officers (PDOs), and officials from the rural development department on Friday.
ZP CEO Kumar said, “In probably a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state, the Dakshina Kannada ZP has tied up with two private hospitals, to conduct a complete health check-up, after the district lost three PDOs in a year, due to cardiac arrest. It is painful and devastating. I feel that health screening is essential, and early detection can help in treating and curing several health problems. We have noticed that government employees tend to neglect health due to work pressure. Hence, we decided to conduct health screening for all government employees, especially those working at the grassroots,” he said.
The health camp will be held at the Nethravati Hall, with the support of KMC Hospital and Yenepoya Hospital. Kumar said that the health camp will be extended to other staff members too.
Troponin test, ECG, lipid profile, cholesterol, cancer screening for women, mammography and PAP test, haemoglobin test, blood sugar test, blood pressure, TSH for thyroid function, oral screening and random blood sugar testing will be conducted. The total cost of the health package being offered, is approximately Rs 3,000, which will be borne by the panchayat.
Dr Padmanabha Kamath, professor and HoD, cardiology, KMC Hospital Mangaluru, and founder of Cardiology at Doorsteps (CAD), a flagship WhatsApp group said, “We have always been a proponent of preventive cardiology and this initiative will set the tone for better things in the years to come. We call this as a last-mile connectivity. Other than screening PDOs of our district, we will also be distributing heart attack enzyme kits to community health officers, at various health and wellness centres,” he said.
Further, Dr Kamath observed, “Our hospital performs the highest number of primary angioplasties in the region. More than 35% of our heart attack patients, who undergo angioplasty, are below 45. As per the Indian Heart Association, 50% of all heart attacks in Indian men occur under the age of 50, while 25% of all heart attacks in Indian men occur in those under 40,” he said.