Everyone to have a healthy Diwali-(HCFI)

New Delhi, October 20, 2019: The Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI), a leading national non-profit organization committed to making India a healthier and disease-free nation concluded its annual flagship event – the 26^th Perfect Health Mela today. The three-day event was organized between 18^th and 20^th October 2019 in association with the Health and Family Welfare Dept. NCT Delhi, NDMC, and other central and Delhi state government departments at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.

Started in 1993, the Perfect Health Mela is a confluence of tradition and modernity and has successfully since the past two and a half decades been working towards creating mass awareness on all aspects of health; using a consumer-driven model as the medium.  The theme for this year’s event held from 18^th to 20^th October 2019 was ‘Fit Delhi, Fit India’.

Speaking at the valedictory, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “I am extremely happy to witness huge participation once again this year at the Mela and I am thankful to everyone who made this event a success. Our campaigns on hygiene, fitness and harm reduction have taken off well and we hope to cover more ground on these issues. It is time that each one of us focuses on holistic health and fitness by making changes to our diet and lifestyles. I also urge everyone to have a healthy Diwali, and take necessary precautions to protect oneself and others from injury and harm.”In his message, IAS Radheyshyam Julaniya, Secretary Sports, Government of India urged everyone to join the Fit India Movement and congratulated HCFI on the success of the event.

The three-day event served as a podium for several on-the-spot competitions in which over 5000 children from various schools and colleges took part with great enthusiasm. Among these were Indian and western dance, fashion show, rock band, Mehendi art, collage making, painting, and slogan writing. There were also special performances by the Punjabi and Hindi Academy, which added value to the event. The purpose behind these competitions and performances was to use infotainment as a way of imparting health education to the masses. Mela attendees were also trained in the lifesaving technique of Hands-only CPR 10 under the Chiranjeev Hriday programme of India Medtronic.

A special campaign on antibiotic resistance was launched in association with the World Health Organization. Thousands of people took the pledge that they will not take antibiotics without consulting with their doctors. Medical practitioners too promised to only prescribe antibiotics when absolutely necessary. Supporting the event are leading brands including personal and fabric hygiene brand Fena, restaurant chain Imperfecto, educational institute Ansal University, medical device company Medtronic, Coca Cola, LIC and other organizations.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr. Monica Chaudhry, Director, School of Health Sciences, Ansal University, said, “We are delighted to support an event of the scale of Perfect Health Mela and it is heartening to see the huge participation over the last three days. Students can become a great force in propagating the message of preventive health and HCFI is leading by example in this aspect.”

The highlight of the last day the HCFI Awards that were presented in the categories of media and journalism, CSR and community service, health education and patient well-being.

Among other things, the Mela this year focused on Happiness Index, fitness for a better living and harm reduction. A campaign on the benefits of saline nasal drops during the Diwali season to combat ill effects of pollution was also launched in association with Nasivion S. Saline drops are a safe solution for dry and stuffy noses and can help improve nasal hygiene and are safe to be used in all age groups including kids.  Some key people whose efforts were acknowledged during the valedictory were Mr Anil Ahuja, Mr Yogesh Jaju, Mr Saurabh Aggarwal, Mr Piyush Goel and Mr Arun Rai.