To survive heart disease and high blood pressure, people need to change lifestyle and increase walking with a healthy diet, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

Momen said a playground at Kalapathar is being set up at Shahi Eidgah for sports entertainment to help the people of Sylhet maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The minister said these at a public awareness discussion on high blood pressure prevention and control in Sylhet district organized by National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and Jalalabad Association in collaboration with the Health Ministry, the NCD Control Program of the Health Department.

The minister also said work has already started on a 17-storey building on the south-east part of Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital. “It will provide treatment for heart disease, cancer and kidney patients so that we do not have to go abroad for treatment in the future.”

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The Sylhet National Heart Foundation Hospital has also been able to set up a non-profit and service-oriented hospital for heart patients with financial support from the government, expatriates from various organizations.

Meanwhile, founder and president of National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh Brigadier (Retd) Abdul Malik said, 20-25 per cent of adults in Bangladesh suffer from high blood pressure. In order to increase the detection and control of high blood pressure patients in the country, the Health Ministry, the NCD Control Program of the Health Department and the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh in collaboration with the US-based NGO Resolve to Save Lives have come forward.

Besides, Habibur Rahman Habib MP, while making a proposal, said that if a 10-kilometer walkway can be made along the banks of Surma, there would be no need to make people aware by holding seminars. "We have to plan for the development of Sylhet from now on," he said. He also proposed to increase the treatment of heart disease at the upazila level.

Moreover, A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and the Jalalabad Association to accelerate this activity in 37 upazilas of four districts of Sylhet division and to encourage people to take regular medication to control high blood pressure.

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President of Jalalabad Association Dr. AK Abdul Mobin said, "We hope that Jalalabad Association will be able to play a successful role in the public awareness program on prevention and control of high blood pressure in 37 upazilas in four districts of Sylhet division."

Dr Sohail Reza Chowdhury, General Secretary of the Department of Epidemiology, General Secretary of the Hypertension Committee of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, said that heart disease is the leading cause of death in Bangladesh. Thirty percent of deaths are due to non-communicable heart disease. “That's why people need to be made aware of the causes of heart disease by raising awareness. The main reason for this is high blood pressure and we need to be aware of the reasons why this high blood pressure occurs.”

Abu Taleb Murad, Publicity Secretary of National Heart Foundation, Former Secretary General of National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh Prof. Dr. Khandaker Abdul Awal Rizvi and Hafiz Ahmed Mazumdar MP were present at the program among others.