The theme of this year's World Heart Day on Sept 26 is workplace wellness. JOAN CHEW finds out what employers can do to promote a heart-healthy environment


Heart attacks can happen anytime, anywhere.

With most people spending over half their waking hours working, the World Heart Federation is targeting the workplace to put out its heart-healthy messages this year.

Associate Professor Terrance Chua, chairman of the Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) and the deputy medical director of National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), agreed that the workplace presents 'an ideal opportunity' to promote a healthy lifestyle which can reduce the risk of heart disease.

However, he said that employers may feel that such programmes distract their workers and take resources away from other programmes.

Prof Chua said: 'They should realise that healthier employees are less likely to fall ill, are more productive and often more willing to be committed to an organisation that looks after their health.'

Dr Tan Yong Seng, vice-chairman of SHF and a senior consultant cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said that this commitment from the top management creates civic awareness on heart health that filters down to all levels of the organisation.

At NHCS, Prof Chua said that fruit is served at meetings instead of cakes or curry puffs. Food bazaars selling healthy snacks like dried fruit and nuts are also a regular feature there.

Besides putting heart disease prevention measures in place, DrTan said that co-workers should know how to react when their colleagues are seized with a heart attack or suffer from a cardiac arrest.

He suggested that employers set up an emergency preparedness team in the workplace, comprising two or three people who are trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to operate automated external defibrillators to revive a person with breathing problems or a heart attack.

Time is of the essence, Dr Tan stressed. Within five minutes of collapsing, the person becomes brain dead and after 15 minutes, the person will be dead.


Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.