Health Screening with the Royal Free Hospital

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir hosted a cardiovascular health screening session on Saturday 24 March 2018 in conjunction with BAPS Charities and the Royal Free Hospital – a major teaching hospital in Hampstead, London.

BAPS Charities has developed a longstanding partnership with the Hospital, which has fostered a series of health screening events for the local community over the past ten years.

This year, BAPS Charities has also partnered with the Tottenham Hotspurs Foundation, which is delivering a ten-week exercise and nutrition programme at the Mandir in April for people who are obese or overweight and not involved in regular sport or physical exercise.

A representative from the Foundation confirmed, “The health check provided an opportunity to educate the local community on the benefits of physical activity on their health and wellbeing.”

In total, 33 participants aged between 30 to 60 years benefitted from the event. Some of the attendees had been previously screened and diagnosed as being high-risk for heart disease and were therefore invited for a follow-up screening to assess their progress.

The health screening programme measured blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index, blood pressure and body fat. Participants were given an opportunity to discuss the findings with doctors. Areas requiring attention were noted with corresponding guidance and follow-up plans agreed for affected attendees.

The session was very well received with positive feedback from all participants. One of the delegates shared, “Dr Sapna provided valuable advice on increasing my protein intake as part of my vegetarian diet. Many thanks for including me in the screening. I hope you are able to continue this offering in the future so that needy people can receive correct advice at the right time of their lives.”

Also in attendance was Dr John Licorish, Consultant in Public Health, Brent. His team informed attendees about tuberculosis as the screening coincided with World TB Day. Dr Licorish said, “I would also like to take the opportunity to commend you for all your hard work and the benefits that accrue to the local community.”