Tiny Hearts Takes World Heart Day Programme to Lhaviyani Atoll

Tiny Hearts of Maldives has taken its largest World Heart Day programme outside Malé to date to Lhaviyani Atoll, with a multi-day programme in Hinnavaru aimed at strengthening heart-health awareness, specialist care and emergency response capacity across the atoll.

The programme, being held from Monday to Friday this week, includes CPR and AED training, specialist cardiac consultations, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) training and newborn pulse-oximetry training for healthcare professionals.

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Although Hinnavaru is hosting the programme, participation is open to communities and health professionals from across Lhaviyani Atoll.

Tiny Hearts said the atoll was selected partly because data from the STEPwise approach to noncommunicable disease risk-factor surveillance (STEPS) indicate a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors in Lhaviyani.

A specialist team from the National Center for Cardiovascular Sciences will provide cardiac consultations in Hinnavaru, while ACLS training will be provided to clinical staff from health facilities across the atoll.

The Maldives Red Crescent will conduct practical CPR and AED training for community participants and Heart Health Champions, with the aim of increasing the number of people able to respond to cardiac emergencies.

The country’s only paediatric cardiologist will also conduct pulse-oximetry training for healthcare professionals to strengthen early detection of babies who may have critical congenital heart disease.

The programme also includes sessions for school teachers on monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, alongside school assemblies and a children’s art competition and exhibition.

A public awareness session on heart attack and stroke warning signs and cardiovascular risk factors is scheduled for September 30, while a family event will focus on physical activity, healthier food and heart-health awareness.

Tiny Hearts said the programme is intended to bring preventive heart-health initiatives, specialist services and practical skills closer to island communities rather than concentrating them in Malé.

The organisation is also continuing World Heart Day activities nationally, with schools encouraged to hold children-led assemblies and workplace heart-health sessions being conducted at several institutions.