Media Release
Mangaluru, Oct 15: Yenepoya Medical College Hospital (YMCH), in association with the District Health and Family Welfare Department, Dakshina Kannada, celebrated the valedictory ceremony of World Heart Day 2025 on October 15. The event marked the conclusion of a month-long cardiac screening and awareness campaign and a CPR training programme conducted earlier in the day at the hospital.
The function was presided over by Dr Habib Rahaman A A, medical superintendent, YMCH, and graced by Dr M Vijayakumar, vice chancellor, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) as the chief guest.
The guests of honour included Dr H R Thimmaiah, district health and family Welfare officer; Dr Naveen Chandra Kulal, district surveillance officer; Dr K S Gangadhara Somayaji, registrar, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University); Dr M S Moosabba, principal, Yenepoya Medical College; Dr Prashanth R M, professor, Cardiology, YMCH, and Dr Abhay Nirgude, dean, faculty of Medicine. Dr Abhay Nirgude delivered the welcome address.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Nagaraj Shet, assistant medical superintendent, highlighted Yenepoya’s continuous efforts in promoting cardiac health. He notified that the patients can avail comprehensive cardiac screening throughout the year at an affordable cost of around Rs 1500. He also shared that in the eight years of its Cath Lab’s establishment, the hospital has successfully performed over 13,000 cardiac procedures, including more than 4,000 angioplasties, with 80–85% conducted completely cashless under government and semi-government health insurance schemes. He further informed that the Heart Failure Clinic, operational every Saturday, lays the groundwork for Yenepoya’s forthcoming plans of establishing a heart transplant programme at Yenepoya Medical College Hsopital.
In his address, Dr M Vijayakumar, the chief guest, commended the hospital’s pioneering role in cardiac care. He announced that Yenepoya Medical College Hospital is the first in Dakshina Kannada to initiate robotic cardiac surgery, with SSI Mantra providing their second-level robotic system free of cost in recognition of the hospital’s commitment to cashless cardiac care. He also reaffirmed Yenepoya’s commitment to making robotic cardiac surgeries cashless for BPL patients and emphasized the hospital’s ongoing CPR training initiatives.
Dr H R Thimmaiah, in his remarks, emphasised the importance of raising awareness on cardiac symptoms and training frontline workers in CPR. He also appreciated Yenepoya’s landmark organ donation initiative conducted in August in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka and recalled the hospital’s timely, cashless treatment of a renal cell carcinoma case as an example of compassionate care.
Dr Naveen Chandra Kulal highlighted the government’s continued efforts to strengthen healthcare accessibility through door-to-door home health services.
In his presidential address, Dr Habib Rahaman A A extended gratitude to the district administration for its consistent support and sought continued collaboration to strengthen referral linkages particularly from Wenlock District Hospital to facilitate cashless cardiac surgeries for the community.
Certificates of participation were symbolically presented to Jayanthi Shetty and Naseer Kukkaje for successfully completing the CPR training session.
The event proceedings were emceed by Sushmitha P B, and was attended by heads of departments, section heads, consultants, Yen Mithras, and other staff members.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Mukhtar Abdullah, assistant medical superintendent, YMCH.