Senior visiting cardiologist in Volga district: “40% of men live to 65 years”
Albert Galyavich on how to increase average lifespan in Russia to 78 years
The All-Russian Congress of Cardiologists took place in Kazan where the creation of an ecosystem of primary health care in cardiovascular diseases was discussed. During an online conference of Realnoe Vremya, Senior Visiting Cardiologist in Volga Federal Okrug, head of the Department of Cardiology for Advanced Training Faculty and Valvular Heart Disease at Kazan State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Albert Galyavich talked about the difficulties doctors and patients faced and explained how to reduce mortality from CVD.
Surge in mortality in 90s
Cardiovascular diseases still take the lead in the anti-rating as causes of death in the world. At the same time, cardiologists annually save lives of tens of thousands of people with heart attacks, ischemia, arrhythmia. According to Albert Galyavich, it is important to prevent disease at an early stage.
“There must be a complex: prevention, diagnostics, treatment and further supervision. In Tatarstan, we have big experience of rendering help to patients with cardiovascular diseases. If we look at dynamics, mortality from cardiovascular diseases has been lower. It is already a big contribution. I remember there was a huge mortality rate in the 90s. And now this number is twice lower,” Galyavich noted.
If we look at dynamics, mortality from cardiovascular diseases has been lower. It is already a big contribution
There was observed a gradual reduction in mortality because of CVD in the republic from 2005 to 2006. State support played a huge role here.
“There were built new treatment units, new equipment was purchased. Specialists’ training level improved too. This is what influenced the decrease in mortality,” the speaker said.
Daily cardiac emergency assistance in Tatarstan
Nowadays Tatarstan has seven high-tech medical centres that work 24/7 and can render cardiac emergency assistance. Nevertheless, doctors complain that people ask for help too late when the disease is at the peak. In such cases, it is very hard to help.
How not to miss symptoms with which one must immediately see a cardiologist?
“One of the dangerous signals is a gripping pain behind the sternum. If it lasts for more than five minutes, one should immediately call the ambulance. By standards, the ambulance must arrive in 15-20 minutes. There is no problem with it Kazan now. We have good interchanges, there is almost no traffic,” Realnoe Vremya’s interlocutor noted.
One of the dangerous signals is a gripping pain behind the sternum. If it lasts for more than five minutes, one should immediately call the ambulance
Moreover, any patient from Kazan can be transported to a high-tech care centre within 30-40 minutes. Patients from the southeast of Tatarstan are transported to Almetyevsk, those from the northeast — to Naberezhnye Chelny.
Doctors also pay attention to the fact that cardiovascular diseases have not only a genetic aspect, everything mainly depends on the lifestyle a person leads.
“Mortality has suddenly increased since the 90s — 1,200 per 100,000 people. First of all, men under 60 years suffered. Now, according to the Russian Ministry of Health’s statistics, about 40% of men live to 65 years. All this happens because people don’t ask for medical help on time, smoke, consume alcohol. Now the president of Russia set a task — to expand lifespan to 78 years. It is hard to do. If the people itself doesn’t start to think about it, you won’t do it by any administrative measures,” Galyavich warned.
Kazan still needs about 30-40 cardiologists. We prepare 40-50 specialists every year. Consequently, they leave medicine or don’t work by trade
“There is a shortage of staff”
Cardiologists’ training level in Tatarstan has increased in the last 20 years, according to Albert Galyavich. Everything began with a cardiology course at Kazan Medical University, but then a department appeared, new methods of diagnostics, treatment started to be introduced. But polyclinics anyway lack cardiologists.
“There is a shortage of staff. Kazan still needs about 30-40 cardiologists. We prepare 40-50 specialists every year. Consequently, they leave medicine or don’t work by trade,” the speaker complained.
In conclusion, the professor added that the situation with staff in the Tatarstan capital in general is better than in the districts. To completely provide clinics with cardiologists, the republic will develop a special programme.