Cardiac Out Patients Diagnostic Clinic inaugurated

The Goa-America Heart Foundation Trust (GAHFT) opened its Cardiac OPD Diagnostic Clinic at JMJ Hospital, Porvorim. Most Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao, Archbishop of Goa. Daman & Diu was  the Chief Guest at a function on 12th May.

GAHFT is a non-profit Trust set up as a collaboration between Goans in Goa and those in the USA to provide world class cardiac care to the people of Goa at affordable rates, with particular regard for the less fortunate. Its Trustees are professionals of diverse backgrounds from both countries, who have voluntarily devoted their time and expertise for the project. The Clinic will treat both rich and poor.

The new Cardiac OPD Diagnostic Clinic is the first step towards establishing a full- fledged cardiac hospital with US technical and financial support. Initial capital is being funded by Goan-Americans and others across the diaspora with a genuine desire to participate in the noble cause of making basic cardiac healthcare available to the people of Goa. The Clinic with state-of-the-art equipment will to start with provide Stress Test, Echo Cardiography and basic tests for non-invasive cardiac diagnosis including ECG.

Ralph deSousa, a member of the Board of Trustees, said he was proud to announce that Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Jyoti Kusnur, MD (Gen. Medicine), DNB (Cardiology), has joined GAHFT and is the first super-specialist Cardiologist to be based in North Goa. Dr. Kusnur, former Interventional Cardiologist at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi and ex-Senior Resident in Cardiology at GMC, was born and educated in Goa. She will spearhead the Clinic’s operations and be closely involved in expansion plans of the Trust.

A study by The British Medical Journal “Lancet” has revealed that India will account for 60% of heart patients by 2010. Goa State is known to have one of the country’s highest incidence of heart ailments. Prevention of cardiac disease will gain increasing importance in future. GAHFT plans to launch a programme of public awareness in rural areas to educate people of all ages about vulnerability to heart disease, the need for preemptive measures and changes in diet and life-style that could help check the growth in number of afflicted citizens. With this in mind, a special Handbook on Health & Diseases ol The Heart has been developed in collaboration with the USA and will shortly be published by GAHFT for the Goan audience.