By Yelibenwork Ayele

The International Cardiovascular Hospital was inaugurated here yesterday. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Rahel Terefe, the hospital's general manager, said that the cardiovascular hospital was founded as a clinic around the old airport seven years ago by three shareholders whose capital amounted to not more than 400,000 birr.

The number of shareholders grew through the years to eleven, then forty-five and with it the clinic's capital grew to 6.5 million birr. The hospital is now equipped with ultrasound, pacemaker and other medical instruments imported duty free three months ago. It can accommodate thirty patients.

The hospital has been a private limited company until now but it will be a share company in one month's time, according to Rahel Terefe, the general manager.

Over the years, the lifestyle has changed significantly in Ethiopia, especially in the major towns, resulting in the emergence of heart diseases which were, until some decades ago, the unidentified causes of sudden and mysterious deaths.

"If we compare it with the more prevalent diseases like infectious diseases, malnutrition, child mortality, diarrhea and maternal mortality the people who suffer from heart diseases are relatively small in number. But this number is growing rapidly," said Dr Elhu Feleke, a cardiologist at the hospital.

In Ethiopia, as in other third world countries, before the problem of communicable diseases is tackled, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are clamoring for attention at health centers. These are the chief causes of heart diseases common in urban centers and are associated with the urban way of life which requires too little physical exertion.

There are, however, other causes of heart diseases in developing countries which affect people from childhood. "There is a heart problem that is related to poverty. We call it rheumatic heart disease and it affects young school children. After throat infection, children get diseases of the valves in the heart and that develops into a heart disease when they become adults."

The chief culprit behind heart diseases in Addis Ababa and major towns throughout the country is the availability of animal fat, meat and butter which are in abundant supply for city dwellers who find the temptation to habitually consume them irresistible.

Those who live in the country, even though they raise cattle, they do not go ahead and slaughter their cattle except for special occasions. Besides, they do manual work and engage in physically demanding labor. And when they have to move around, they walk as opposed to townsfolk who drive if they own vehicles or take a ride aboard a taxi if they do not.

Excepting daily labors, other workers, otherwise known as white-collar workers, are desk bound all day long in their offices and on the sofa at home before retiring to bed. Hardly any part of their body is exercised. Too much calorie, unit of energy from food, is saved and too little burned in this way of life, resulting in obesity through the accumulation of excess fat. There, obesity begets diabetes begets high blood pressure which produces diseases of the heart and blood vessels. "Diabetes is increasing in this country, as I have observed," he said.

These three together destroy blood vessels, narrowing them and blocking them, thereby damaging the kidneys, causing heart failure and stroke.

The hospital has thirty beds and the capacity to serve thousands of patients a year. "People who come here for treatment are actually only a small proportion of those who need it. This is only for Addis Ababa. We don't really know the situation in other towns but I am sure it has become like it is here in Bahr Dar, Awassa and Harrar. So the need for facilities to treat heart diseases is going to increase," said Dr Elhu.

The ICH has acquired a plot of land around CMC for constructing its own hospital worth 25 million birr. It is planning to establish an Ethiopian heart association comprising doctors and laymen. The association's purpose will be to give awareness on the growing problem of heart disease and advise the public for improvement of working habits and to lobby the government for more facilities to treat heart diseases.