World Heart Day: Youth-driven initiative reshaping narrative around cardiac health

As the world prepares to mark World Heart Day tomorrow with the theme “Don’t miss a beat”, Ludhiana is witnessing a powerful movement led by its young residents.

In a city where heart health is becoming an urgent concern, schoolchildren, armed with BP apparatuses and a sense of purpose, are stepping up to screen blood pressure, learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and inspire lifestyle changes in their families and communities.

What began as “Mission Swasth Kavach” has now evolved into “Pulse Keepers: Gen Z Edition”, a youth-driven initiative that’s reshaping the narrative around heart health. The original campaign, started in March 2024, screened over five lakh people for high blood pressure and diabetes, creating a sustainable model for the free treatment of industrial workers. But the real breakthrough came when the idea of involving students from classes IX to XII was born.

“We wanted to empower children with knowledge — not just about hypertension, but how to measure blood pressure and understand its impact,” said Dr Bishav Mohan, chief cardiologist and coordinator of Hero DMC Heart Institute (HDHI) who spearheads the initiative.

The Ludhiana administration, under Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain, soon joined hands, and the movement spread across 400 schools, including both government and private in the district. Teachers and students were trained in the BP measurement and CPR during a three-day workshop with support from the DMCH volunteers. To date, over 25,000 students and teachers have learned to measure blood pressure, and 10,000 have received hands-on CPR training.

The DMCH is providing the BP checking apparatus free of cost to students and teachers and the young brigade from schools has screened 45,000 persons, of whom 8,000 were found hypertensive who were put on medication after consultation with doctors. Since hypertension does not have any symptoms, regular check-up plays an important role. “The sense of empowerment one gets after wearing the doctor’s white coat is unparalleled,” said Dr Mohan. “We’ve seen girls especially take pride in this role — it’s encouraged many to dream of becoming doctors.” The impact is already visible. “My daughter now checks our BP regularly and reminds us to reduce salt,” said Rajinder Kaur, a parent from Satya Bharti School. “This early exposure will reshape the non-communicable disease profile of our society. Youth are the catalysts of change, says Dr Mohan.