Experts pitch for health-centric plan for Hyderabad to overcome diseases

Hyderabad: Telangana government has been requested to see Hyderabad through the lens of health and explore health-centric planning

Foundation for Futuristic Cities organised a Roundtable on' Healthy Hyderabad - Wealthy Telangana' at ASCI on Sunday.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Home Minister of State G Kishan Reddy, Chairman of ASCI Padmanabhiah and more than 30 eminent doctors, city planners and technology experts participated.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya stated that urban policies that lead to increased air pollution contribute to premature deaths from strokes, heart attacks and cancers.

Union Minister Kishan Reddy emphasised on giving priorities to both health and sanitation and hygienic conditions in urban areas like Hyderabad.

He said that both are interlinked with each other.

He said that people in Hyderabad are suffering from health ailments and new kind of diseases as they are not doing physical exercises and daily walking and changed lifestyle habits are also not helping the cause.

Earlier in her inaugural speech, Karuna Gopal, president, Foundation for Futuristic Cities and Roundtable chairperson gave the rationale for organising this roundtable. She said, heart attack, stroke, chronic respiratory disease, lung cancers – more than a quarter to one-third of deaths are caused due to air pollution–with urban traffic, improper waste management, industrial emissions, heating and power production.

Karuna Gopal said pointing out that Hyderabad has been recording many cases of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A new health study revealed disturbing trends on various health disorders even among schoolchildren with 1 in 5 kids are vulnerable to lifestyle and metabolic diseases as Hyderabad has the highest child obesity.