CUBAs advances in cardiac rehabilitation were on display at the 4th Ibero-American Congress on that specialty held recently in Panama with the participation of experts from 20-plus countries.

Speaking for Cuba, Doctor Eduardo Rivas Estany, director of the Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgerys rehabilitation center, explained the importance of exercise for the recovery of heart failure patients, taking into account that heart failure is the top cause of death and premature disability for workers in many countries.

Cuba has a Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, which is dedicated to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery of patients, which includes medical attention for children with congenital heart problems, for whom a pediatric cardiology network is being developed and which has helped decrease child mortality.

Cardiology services also exist in every province, and cardiac centers are located in the western, central and eastern regions of the country with cutting-edge technology and specialized medical treatment at the same level as in developed nations.

Doctor Rivas told the AIN news agency that in Cuba, 30% of deaths every year are due to heart problems, and ischemia is the most frequently-occurring of these.

He emphasized the importance of prevention, given that smoking, sedentarism, an inadequate diet rich in fats and carbohydrates, and other factors have increased heart disease, above all in underdeveloped countries.

Source: Granma