VIJAYAWADA: Special Chief Secretary for Health, Medical and Family Welfare, Sri MT Krishna Babu, inaugurated the ‘Check BP – Stop Stroke’ campaign at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Guntur on Friday.
Krishna praised Dr Vijaya, President of the Indian Stroke Association (ISA), for initiating the campaign to raise awareness about controlling high blood pressure to prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure. He flagged off the mobile BP screening bus and highlighted the government’s efforts to provide free hypertension medication through PHCs, CHCs, and government hospitals. ISA President Vijaya explained that hypertension is the leading cause of brain strokes, which affect over 18 lakh people annually in India, with 25% of cases occurring in individuals under 40 years.
She stressed that 80% of strokes are preventable through BP monitoring. Dr Arvind Sharma, Secretary of ISA, announced plans to extend the campaign across AP and other states. Free BP checks will be conducted at various centres across Guntur.