World Heart Day: Columbia Asia Hospitals organizes Walkathon

Gurgaon, Sept 28, 2015: Gurgaon Deputy Mayor Mr. Parminder Kataria today joined a large number of city’s residents including students, young corporate professionals as well as the elderly in a Walkathon organized by Columbia Asia Hospitals, Palam Vihar to drive people towards healthy lifestyles and physical activity ahead of World Heart Day.

Despite cardiovascular diseases becoming more of a disease driven by lifestyle rather than genetic predisposition, a radical shift towards heart healthy living is yet to be achieved in India. While urban Indians have adopted western lifestyles and food habits, they are yet to adopt the high degree of consciousness towards health. The walkathon was aimed at awakening people about the importance of heart and its health, and the need for regular physical activity to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Under the message of ‘Walk, Run, Stay healthy, the walkathon was flagged off by chief guest, Mr. Parminder Kataria, Deputy Mayor of Gurgaon, and witnessed a wide participation from corporate heads and professionals, customers, staff members, consultants and relatives and friends of patients.

The walkathon started at 6.30 am and covered a stretch of 3 kms from Columbia Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon, to Palam vihar block A and B and back to the hospital. The event also saw participation from 350 individuals who ran across the track and covered up to 9 kms.

“It is a matter of concern that urban Indians especially in cities like Gurgaon are today highly exposed to unhealthy lifestyles and the resultant high risk towards cardiovascular diseases. Amidst the high stress of daily sedentary lives, it is very important for people to draw some time daily to indulge in physical activities such as walking, running or yoga. It is good to see a healthy participation at the walkathon as it shows that awareness about healthy living is increasing,” said Mr. Parminder Kataria, Deputy Mayor, Gurgaon.

Organized in association with Run with Me Foundation, the “Stay Healthy Walkathon” by Columbia Asia Hospitals, Gurgaon is a special initiative on World Heart Day. The effort aims to educate people about the importance of healthy lifestyle in ensuring a long and productive life.

“Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of deaths across the world, including in India. While, the risk of acquiring CVD increases with age, unhealthy lifestyle factors such as poor diet and lack of physical activity today are making relatively younger people prone to the disease. Research shows that even 30 minutes of daily exercise can reduce the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease to a large extent. This can be done by adopting simple measures like taking stairs instead of elevators, parking your vehicle at a distance from your office, walking to the nearby market rather than driving. It is very simple, yet it needs consciousness and motivation. Activities such as the Walkathon are aimed at increasing consciousness and providing motivation,” said Dr Sanjat Chiwane, Consultant Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital.

The walkathon also saw active participation of schoolchildren from Chirag School and Rotary School Gurgaon, working professionals to the city’s elderly residents and Senior Citizen Forum. Additionally, encouraging more people to join the walk were the runners and experts from Run With me Foundation.

“Enrolling in expensive gyms and fitness centers is not necessary. Basic health can be maintained even by walking and running daily. This can reduce the risk of several diseases including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. With cardiovascular diseases (CVD) becoming an epidemic, it is important to educate people about its causes, prevention and treatment. While treatments are available today, it is best to prevent disease by adopting a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Dr Amit Gupta, Consultant Cardiology, Columbia Asia Hospital

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Columbia Asia Hospitals organizes a session Road Safety Awareness

Columbia Asia Hospital-Ghaziabad conducted a session with Policemen at Police lines Govindpuram on Sunday 17^th May, 2015.


The theme of the event was Road Safety Awareness with sessions taken by Dr Rizwan (Emergency Medical Officer), along with a live demo of Basic life support BLS training which one can use in emergency situations.

Followed by another session by Dr Akash Mishra (Consultant Neurology) on how to manage head injuries during accidents. The Hospital felt the need to sensitize the masses in collaboration with the police officials with above sessions that were attended by 120 participants and train them for such emergency situations and how to react in case of accidents and importance of BLS training.

Key Speakers from Columbia Asia: Dr Rizwan & Dr Akash Mishra

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Bust Your Winter Health Myth from Dr. Pratibha Walde

Dr Pratibha Walde, consultant, Internal Medicine, Columbia Asia Hospital, Kharadi, Pune is suggesting you to bust “Winter Health Myths”-

Myth 1) Common cold needs antibiotics: Most people believe that antibiotics are needed to cure cold or flu infections, which are common in winters. This is a fallacy. Antibiotics treat bacteria while common cold or flu is caused by virus. To be honest, medical science is yet to find a cure to fight all types of viruses bar a few. A viral infection is said to be self-limiting i.e. resisted by the body’s own immune system.

In those whose immune system is weak like in uncontrolled diabetics, cancer patients or transplant patient son immunosuppressive medicines, even a minor ailment can become serious due to lack of ability of the body to fight viruses. Antibiotics are prescribed in case of secondary infections, if any. In fact, some people have a habit of popping up antibiotics even without prescription; and overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic-resistance. The truth is antibiotics do not treat a common cold or viral fever.
To fight common cold, boost your immune system by maintaining healthy nutrition and hydration.

Myth 2) Sunscreen and Sunglasses are summer accessories: Most people believe that they do not need sun protection in winters because the sun doesn’t seem so harsh in the colder months. But, this is a fallacy. The skin and eyes need as much protection from the sun in winters as they do in summers. In fact, we tend to spend greater amount of time outdoors in winter and logically need greater protection.
The sun sends out radiation of different kinds including Ultra Violet radiation, commonly called UV rays. UV radiations that can cause harm to the skin as well as to the eyes are up as much as in winters as they are in summers. Sunscreen and sunglasses are accessories that help protect against UV radiation. Like UV radiation, these are also not weather specific. Sometimes people going out in the snow need greater eye protection as the sun’s glare also reflects back from the snow.

Myth 3) You Shouldn’t Exercise in Winter: Some people believe exercising in winters will expose them to cold, others give up exercising in winters because they just cannot step out of the blanket. The truth is you need greater movement and exercise in winters to keep your muscles warm and joints active. The winter chill accompanied by a barometric change in atmospheric pressure stiffens the nerves and muscles of the body, resulting in muscular or joint pain in some people. This has to be tackled by keeping your muscles exercised and fitter.

Myth 4) Alcohol Can Warm You Up in Cold: This is a major misconception. Many people believe that drinking alcohol, that makes you feel warm, is a good remedy to cold weather. It is not. It is all the more harmful as it deceives you into thinking that you are warm. Actually, alcohol dilates the blood vessels near the skin, prompting warmer blood to flow to the peripheral areas. The skin becomes warm but the core of the body actually becomes colder. This coupled with the numbing of the senses can make you believe that you do not need much protection from cold. So, the truth is that alcohol just makes you feel warmer; it doesn’t actually warm you up.

Myth 5) Temperature of your eatables can affect your health: It is a common belief that drinking an iced drink in winters will cause cold or flu. But the temperature of whatever you eat, even ice, become warm quickly after you swallow it up. So, essentially the temperature of eatables do not cause cold or cough. Yes, if you are already suffering from a sore throat, the touch of ice can add to the discomfort of your throat. Warmer fluids are easier to swallow and comforting when you are suffering from a sore throat.

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Brace Up to Fight Seasonal Allergies

Brace Up To Fight Seasonal Allergies

Do you face allergic symptoms just in certain seasons or all-round the year? As winter approaches, those with allergies have a spurt of symptoms and need to take some preventive measures, writes Dr. Gurpreet Singh Dang, General Physician, Columbia Asia Hospital-Patiala.

Winter allergies can leave you sick, with either running or a blocked nose or sore throat.Itchy and red eyes, sniffling and sneezing may also occur. Common triggers of allergies are mould, house dust mites, animal dander and perfumes are some common allergens. During the cold season, your resistance and immunity levels are low. Pet dander, smoke, gas fumes, dust mites, winter cold can make your nose watery and eyes itchy. Cold is a seasonal affair, but allergies can persist for a longer period of time.

Weather irritants like pet dander, mildew and mold are present in the air throughout the year, but the reason they become active in winters is because people shut all the windows with room heaters and temperature controllers switched on to avoid cold. However, the warm atmosphere becomes a perfect environment for mould and mites to breed.The reactions of these allergens can be controlled only if you understand what stimulates these triggers. The indoor triggers that are the root cause of all the uneasiness are:

Mold Spores: Asthma gets aggravated when the patient inhales mold spores that are always present in the environment but stay unnoticed. These spores float in the air like pollen and can cause additional problems compared to pollen irritants. This fungus dwells in damp and humid places like bathrooms and basements.

Dust Mites: Dust Mites are present even in the homes that appear clean. House dust’s allergenic components trigger the problem of watery eyes, stuffy nose, and sneezing strokes. They are present in pillows, mattresses, upholstery, curtains and carpets.

Pet Dander: It’s not pet’s fur that causes allergy in winters, instead the trigger is the protein present in animal’s saliva and urine. Pet dander is light and can easily stick to your clothes, shoes and hair.

You can avoid winter allergies by identifying the trigger. We often dodge symptoms of coughing, stuffed and runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing and even the dark circles under eyes as normal effects of winter. One should consult a doctor if the symptoms last for more than a week.

Some preventive measures are always good to be taken:

Ventilate your house: As winter sets, we tend to snuggle close to our blankets, mattresses, soft toys, pillows and stacked woolen clothes which are the actual source of dust mites. We keep windows and doors closed with heaters on to protect from the freezing weather outside. As a result homes get no sunlight and encourages growth of the moulds. Winter worsens eczema which is often attributed to dust allergens. Let the sunlight in!

Prepare an action plan: Regular vacuuming of curtains and carpets, hanging out blankets and sweater in the sun at least once a week are some simple precautions. Ornamental plants can be a source of allergy. Replacing them with the artificial ones can help prevent allergy.Removing carpets altogether is a good way of minimizing allergies. Get room heaters and air conditioning units cleaned regularly.

Stay cautious: Avoiding smoking and use of agarbattis. Maintain a minimum humidity level inside the house with the humidifier and dehumidifier to prevent growth of dust mites.

Scan your house: You should continuously keep a check on surroundings of the house and clean up the places you think can lead to mold breeding. You should clean the basement and rid your home of unwanted material as they can gather dust.

Don't ignore allergies. Consult a doctor, who may advise you to be on medicines, nasal sprays and inhalers during the winter.

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Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad to hold first live operative workshop on application of Laser technology in Urology

Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad is conducting a first live operative workshop on the application of laser technology in urology on May 18 where esteemed faculty will train their skills in the respective field.

The workshop aims at passing on the skills and knowledge to peers in non-metro areas of the country as until now,the laser technology in urology has been limited to doctors in the large cities only.


The workshop is being organized in collaboration with Society of Urologists of Noida and Ghaziabad (SUNG) under the aegis of Urologist Association of UP (UAU).

The surgeries will see 18 eminent urologists in action, including Dr T Manohar, Columbia Asia Hospital, Bangalore and will be led by Dr Sanjay Garg, Consultant Urologist, Columbia Asia, Ghaziabad.


“The idea to hold a workshop in urology is to spread awareness about the use of laser in the domain. The application of Laser technology in urology was introduced at least a decade back, but is still restricted to just few doctors in big cities. The workshopendeavors to spread its reach to doctors in far towns and citiesso that they can put in practice its use in their routine urology surgeries,” said Dr Garg.


The 9-hour session will start at 8:30 am- . During this 9 hrs period, 12 patients will undergo laser surgeries for prostate & kidney stones. The workshop, which will be telecast LIVE from RadissonBlu, Kaushambi and will have only practical meaningful operation session.


The workshop will focus on usage of latest laser technology like video flexible ureteroscope for treatment of renal stone diseases & prostate related problems.

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Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon organises Kidney Screening Camp

Proper functioning of human bodydepends on accurate working of all the body parts, including kidneys, which play an important role of a natural filter, helping to remove waste products from the blood, and form an essential part in the urinary system.

Any type of kidney dysfunction can be very risky as it leads to build up of waste toxins in the body due to malfunction in natural filtration. The situation can lead to multiple disorders and also be fatal. While kidney stones are commonplace and generally not risky, other kidney problems may put a person’s life at risk with the condition not being treatable easily and dialysis and transplant being the last options.

Problem in passing urine, high blood pressure, lethargy, shortness of breath are signs of kidney problems. If these warning signs are ignored, they can pose serious health risks. Due to lack of awareness, people usually ignore the symptoms and do not realize till its gets extremely complicated and risky.

On the occasion of World Kidney Day, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon took the initiative to educate people about kidney ailments and how drinking water is crucial in preventing kidney infections and other ailments like stones. The hospital organized a Kidney care camp inviting people to get their kidney profiles checked and screened to keep a check on the development of stones and other disorders.

The programme on “Kidney Diseases - Treatment and Prevention” that conducted kidney function tests on patients while also imparting them knowledge about keeping kidneys healthy was led by Dr Anupam Roy, Consultant, Nephrology, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon.

Consultation, registration and investigations of blood urea and createnine, urine urea and albumin ratio were offered at concessional rates to encourage patients to get themselves screened.

“Kidneys are vital organs of human body and any harm to them can be fatal. In the face of abnormality in its functioning, patients are left with options of dialysis and transplant only. Dialysis is a tough option, as every three days the procedure has to be done to remove waste products from the body, while getting a matching donor for a transplant is very difficult. A simple screening can help diagnose any harm to kidneys in the initial stage and prevent it from reaching an end stage disease. The programme aims at educating people about kidney screening and preventive steps that should be taken,” says Dr Kousar Ali Shah, General Manager, Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon.

In the programme, people aged above 40, especially those having diabetes, hypertension and partial kidney disorder were called to clear their doubts and apprehensions and get a detailed understanding on various aspects related to kidney disorders, its treatment and prevention.

About Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is one of the first healthcare companies to enter the country through 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) route.

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Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala organizes ‘PATIALA AGAINST DRUGS’, an awareness drive on Drug Abuse

Patiala:Drug usage for recreation leads to addiction and once somebody comes under the grip, it is extremely difficult for them to get rid of it. The addiction not just ruins the life of the drug user but also makes the lives of their family members difficult.

Quitting drugs get difficult as the body becomes used to it and the craving takes the person back to it, despite making sincere attempts to quit it. Hence, it becomes increasingly important to spread awareness about the health hazards of drug use and all the miseries it brings along, so that people abstain from trying it. Efforts need to be made to deter people, especially young children, from falling prey to it.

Few topics in India generate more emotional debate than the growing inclination of people towards substance abuse for recreational purposes. Over recent years, several reports have highlighted that Punjab is one state in India which is in the grip of a drug crisis. To curb the menace of drug abuse and sensitize people about its severe consequences, Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala organised a walkathon – ‘Patiala against Drugs’, in the city today.

It was an effort by Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala to bring all the stakeholders, including government, people and rehabilitation centers, together to contain the incidences of drug abuse in the city.


The walkathon witnessed participation of around 1200 students from various schools and colleges, including Delhi Public School, DPS, Budhadal Public School, Yadwandera Public School,Shri Guru Harikishan Public School.

Prior to the walkathon, the hospital had been involving students to stand up against drug abuse. Pledge Walls were created in various educational institutions where students pledged to stay away from drugs.


“Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala has constantly been working towards creating awareness on various health issues. Since drugs abuse is one of Patiala’s biggest concerns and is leading to declining health conditions of people in and around the city, we believe it is our responsibility of getting the youth back into mainstream. Hence, we are collaborating with various social and educational institutions as a step towards finding a solution to curb this menace,” said Mr. Kanishka Nohria, the General Manager of Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala.

The walkathon began following the ribbon cutting by the Chief Guest, Mr.Chand Singh, Patiala Police Service, DSP HQ Patiala. It started at 9 am from Baradari Garden in the city and finished at Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala around 10:30 am.

All the participating institutes were honored by Mr.Chand Singh and Nohria after the walkathon in an awards ceremony in the hospital premises. The representatives of the schools and colleges once again reaffirmed their pledge there.

Columbia Asia Hospital, Patiala looks to take more ambitious initiatives in the future by involving all the stakeholders in its effort to fight more actively against drug abuse. The hospital will organize regular talks on the issue in association with school, colleges and social organizations.


About Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd.

Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is one of the first healthcare companies to enter the country through 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) route.

About Columbia Asia Group of Companies

The Columbia Asia Group is owned by more than 150 private equity companies, fund management organizations and individual investors. The group currently operates seven multi-specialty hospitals, one referral hospital and one clinic in India. The company also operates hospitals in Malaysia (10), Vietnam (3), and Indonesia (1). The Indian management operations are managed from its office in Bangalore.

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