From silent heart risks to life after a heart attack: TOI Medithon to decode the biggest cardiac health challenges facing India today

Heart disease has become one of India’s biggest health concerns. What was once considered a condition linked mainly to old age is now affecting younger adults, working professionals, and even people in their thirties and forties. Long working hours, stress, poor sleep, processed food, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and lack of regular check-ups are all adding to the burden.At the same time, healthcare access continues to remain uneven across the country. Even though India’s doctor-to-patient ratio is now better than the WHO-recommended standard, affordable and timely treatment is still difficult for many families. Delayed diagnosis, rising treatment costs, and lack of awareness often push people to seek help only when symptoms become severe.To bridge this growing gap between doctors and the public, TOI is bringing back Medithon on May 30 with a focused discussion on cardiology. The event aims to simplify heart health conversations and help people understand prevention, treatment, recovery, and lifestyle changes directly from some of the country’s experienced heart specialists.The first session will focus on “Preventing Heart Disease to achieve amazing heart amazing life.” The discussion will explore why prevention still remains the most effective way to fight cardiac illnesses in India.The panel will feature Dr Sanjat Chiwane, MD, DM (Cardiology), Director, Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, Dr Shafeeq Mattummal, MD, DM, FESC, FSCAI, Chairman & Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiology, Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode, Kerala andDr Ravindran Rajendran MD, DM, FACC, FESC,FSCAI, Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Clinical Lead, Cardiac Imaging & Structural Interventions, Apollo Hospitals, TrichyThe session is expected to discuss how everyday habits slowly shape heart health over time. Instead of focusing only on emergency care, the conversation will likely bring attention to early screenings, managing blood pressure and diabetes, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, and recognising silent warning signs before they turn dangerous. In a country where many people first discover heart disease during a medical emergency, this discussion may help shift attention towards earlier action.The second session is titled “Amazing heart Amazing life for Gen Z and Generation Alpha.” The very idea behind this discussion reflects a changing reality. Heart health conversations are no longer limited to middle-aged adults.The panel includes Dr T. Parthasarathy, MD, DM (Cardiology), Consultant Cardiologist, Heart Care & Krishna Heart Centre, Cuddalore and Dr. V. Senthilkumar, MD, DM (Cardiology), FACC, FESC, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Aster Ramesh Sanghamitra Hospital, Ongole.This session is likely to examine how screen-heavy lifestyles, reduced physical activity, fast food culture, stress, sleep disruption, vaping, and poor mental health are beginning to affect younger hearts much earlier than expected. Many cardiologists now warn that unhealthy routines developed during teenage years often stay unnoticed until adulthood. The discussion may also bring attention to how schools, families, and workplaces can play a role in building healthier routines early in life.A heart attack changes life beyond the hospital walls. Recovery often comes with fear, anxiety, lifestyle adjustments, medicines, rehabilitation, and the emotional challenge of returning to normal life again.The session, “Recovery After heart Attack to have Amazing heart & Amazing Life,” will focus on this often-overlooked stage of cardiac care.The panel will feature Dr Tejas Pandya, MD, DM (Cardiology), Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Synergy Superspeciality Hospital, Rajkot and Dr Shailendra Trivedi DM, DNB (Cardiology), Director of Cardiology, Vishesh Jupiter Hospital, Indore.The conversation is expected to go beyond surgeries and procedures. Recovery after a cardiac event is rarely just physical. Many patients struggle with emotional stress, fear of recurrence, reduced confidence, and confusion around lifestyle restrictions. Discussions around rehabilitation, medication adherence, exercise, diet, and emotional recovery may make this session especially relevant for families caring for heart patients at home.One of the most important sessions of the day may be the discussion about “Beyond the Obvious: What Every Woman Should Know to have Amazing Heart, Amazing Life.”Women’s heart health is still widely misunderstood. Symptoms in women can often look different from the classic chest pain people associate with heart attacks. Fatigue, nausea, breathlessness, jaw pain, dizziness, or discomfort are frequently ignored or mistaken for less serious problems.The panel includes Dr Arya Subhadra, MD, DM (Cardiology) Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, St. Gregorius Medical Mission Multispeciality Hospital, Thiruvalla, Kerala, Dr. Vatchsala Sree V, M.D., D.M. (Cardiology), Muhil Heart Care Centre, Vellore and Dr Lakshmi Durga MD, DNB, DM (Cardiology), Consultant Cardiologist & Co-founder, K.L Cardio and Ortho Care, Ariyalur.This discussion is expected to focus on why women are often diagnosed later than men, how hormonal changes can affect cardiac health, and why awareness around female heart disease still needs urgent attention. In many households, women continue to prioritise family responsibilities over their own health concerns. Conversations like these can slowly change that mindset.The upcoming cardiology-focused Medithon on May 30 aims to make these discussions easier to understand and more relevant to ordinary life. Sometimes, one conversation about prevention, one reminder about symptoms, or one story about recovery can push someone to finally book a health check-up that had been delayed for years. And in heart health, timing often changes everything.