Employers asked to designate space for physical exercises

Health experts have asked employers to establish designated places at their respective work places for carrying out physical exercises.

Experts explained that one in every four Ugandans has heart disease adding that the greatest problem, however, is that many of them do not know that they have complications.

The remarks were made as the country commiserated the World Heart Day to raise awareness about heart diseases.

This year’s theme is “Use the heart to beat cardiovascular diseases."

Experts urged the population to continue doing more on prevention of heart diseases through community outreaches, campaigns and in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility to reach out to people country wide.

While most historical research on diseases in Uganda has focused on HIV, Malaria, TB and other infections, experts said new research is now focusing on cardiovascular diseases including rheumatic heart disease, coronary artery disease, and hypertension as evidenced by the prolific publications and awards by the Institute.

The executive director, Uganda Heart Institute, Dr John Omagino said regular physical exercise will help reduce cases of cardiovascular related diseases among the community.

"In this time of Covid-19, cardiovascular disease patients are at an increased risk of developing severe forms of Covid-19 disease,"he said.

According to Dr. James Magara, the board chairman of Uganda Heart Institute, even though many people already have heart disease, they still need to be educated about how to prevent its rapid progression into a debilitating disease