Gary Sykes, President of ConocoPhillips Qatar, the founding sponsor of Kulluna, and Director of Hamad International Training Centre and Chairman of the Kulluna campaign Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, during a cake-cutting ceremony.
DOHA: More than 30,000 people took the opportunity to check their heart health during a month-long campaign by Kulluna, at the City Centre.
Around 60 staff members from Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) supported the stand each day and carried out more than 120,000 tests on pubic, who visited the stand to find out how healthy their hearts were.
Director of Hamad International Training Centre and Chairman of the Kulluna campaign, Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen said the aim of the Kulluna campaign was to help the public improve their health and safety and that of their loved ones.
“This campaign actually asked people to encourage their loved ones to get a check-up on their heart,” he said.
“We are very happy with the number of people we have been able to support with this campaign. More than 30,000 visitors is a significant percentage of the overall population and each of these visitors will have come away from the stand with a better idea about their heart health and how to prevent any heart problems in the future.”
The event at the City Center mall also highlighted a potentially worrying trend of hypertension in young men. Between 25 and 30 percent of those aged 25-40 had high blood pressure.
This is something that could be dangerous if left untreated as it is a major cause of heart disease and could result in a stroke or death.
Another worrying trend is that over 50 percent of the people tested were overweight, with the majority being classified as obese. Obesity is another cause of heart disease and could also lead to diabetes. All visitors who required ongoing care were referred into the appropriate services at HMC.
Gary Sykes President of ConocoPhillips Qatar, founding sponsor of Kulluna, praised the campaign for tackling one of the biggest health problems in Qatar.
“It was no surprise to us that the ‘Kulluna for a Healthy Heart’ campaign was a great success and that the stand at City Center attracted the large number of visitors it did,” Sykes said.
“The screening booths proved to be very popular among various sectors of the Qatari society, which is a strong testament to the importance of this initiative that addressed an urgent need and falls within the strategic pillar of Health and Safety championed by ConocoPhillips. We look forward to many more similar campaigns that touch lives in a meaningful way and positively contribute to a healthy Qatar.”
Launched in 2012, Kulluna, is a five-year national campaign to improve health and safety in Qatar. The first part of their campaign, ‘Keep Us Safe’, was a huge success and was dedicated to children safety.
Source:Agencies
