• In the second edition of Aster Volunteers ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ CSR initiative, for every 10,000 steps walked by an individual in a day, INR 100 would be donated by Aster DM Foundation towards pediatric cardiac surgeries for underprivileged children.  
  • Launched today at Aster Hospital Mankhool, the initiative will conclude with a mega event on 16th October 2022 at Zabeel Park which will see people from UAE come together and those who complete the highest number of steps by that day will be awarded. An awareness drive in partnership with Aster Hospital and Medcare Hospital in Sharjah would be organized at Al Jazeera Park and Al Buhaira Corniche, Sharjah on 9th October 2022.
  • People who wish to participate can register online via heart2heart.astervolunteers.com
  • The first edition of the initiative launched on World Heart Day 2021, saw large participation from India and GCC which made a contribution of INR 2.26 Million towards the cause.

Dubai – Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare provider network in GCC and India, has launched the second edition of ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ on occasion of World Heart Day. The global initiative aims to encourage people to walk for their heart health, while also providing them with a greater cause of saving the lives of underprivileged children in need of heart surgery.

The second edition of #Heart2Heart by Aster Volunteers commenced today at Aster Hospital Mankhool and will run until 16th October 2022. During this period, individuals wishing to participate can register online via heart2heart.astervolunteers.com and walk a minimum of 10,000 steps per day for 2 weeks of the campaign period. With the combined efforts of the participating individuals, Aster DM Foundation will be donating INR.100/- for minimum 10,000 steps a day, towards Pediatric Cardiac Surgery for underprivileged children through Aster Volunteers Treatment Aid programme in India. As an extension to this year’s activity, an awareness drive around the initiative will be organised at Al Jazeera Park and Al Buhaira Corniche, Sharjah on 9th October 2022, in partnership with Aster Hospital and Medcare Hospital in Sharjah. The initiative will conclude with a mega event on 16th October 2022 at Zabeel Park, where the people who complete the highest number of steps will be awarded.

Flagging off the initiative, Ms. Alisha Moopen – Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, said, “Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of deaths globally, however, half of these can be prevented. In India, 2 million children have undetected congenital heart issues. Through the Heart2Heart Walk initiative by Aster Volunteers, we at Aster want to encourage people to take proactive measures to safeguard their heart health and support underprivileged children with cardiac ailments in gaining a healthy future. Our efforts are in line with WHO’s theme of World Heart Day 2022 - 'Use Heart for Every Heart'. Let us give hope to people, lets walk for our own health and for the smiles of underprivileged kids.”

The initiative kick-starting in Dubai, UAE will see local chapters being organized by units across Aster DM Healthcare network under “Aster”, “Medcare” and “Access’’ consisting of 29 hospitals, 121 clinics, 421* pharmacies, 17 labs and 109 patient experience centres, encouraging participation among the local communities. Last year, the ‘Heart2Heart Walks’ organised by Aster Volunteers had contributed INR 2.26 million for pediatric-cardiac surgeries of underprivileged children, towards the right direction of touching little lives and promising them a healthier tomorrow. To contribute this year, participants will need to record their steps on their gadgets/smartphones and share their step count through screenshots on heart2heart.astervolunteers.com or whatsapp it on UAE number - +971 565398486. Alternatively, one can upload it in on their social media channel with #Heart2Heart and #Astervolunteers.

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About Aster Volunteers

Aster Volunteers programme, the global corporate social responsibility initiative of Aster DM Healthcare, was launched on occasion of the company's 30th anniversary in 2017 and provides a platform which bridges the gap between people who would like to help with those in need. Driven by Aster DM Foundation, through various initiatives, the programme has been able to impact 3.9 million+ lives across geographies. Aster Volunteers have been able to treat 679,898+ individuals through mobile medical camps; 197,028 people have benefitted from Basic Life Support (BLS) awareness trainings and 47,973 free surgeries as well as clinical investigations were conducted; supported with the recruitment of 142 differently abled people of determination and treated 672,963 people through medical camps. Aster Volunteers have also been at the forefront of the battle against COVID – 19 and has impacted 2 million+ lives through various social activities.

About Aster DM Healthcare

Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in GCC and in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare through our 29 hospitals, 121 clinics, 421* pharmacies, 17 labs and 109 patient experience centres in seven countries, including India. We have over 27,200 plus dedicated staff including 3,441 doctors and 7,901 nurses across the geographies that we are present in, delivering a simple yet strong promise to our different stakeholders: "We'll treat you well." We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC states through our differentiated healthcare services across the "Aster", "Medcare" and "Access" brands.

* Including 176 Pharmacies in India operated by Alfaone Retail Pharmacies Private Limited under brand license from Aster. 

For more information about us, please contact:
Lavanya Mandal
Iternal Communications
Aster DM Healthcare
Email: lavanya.mandal@asterdmhealthcare.com
Rasheed Palliyalil
Watermelon Communications
Email: rasheed@watermelonme.com

DISCLAIMER:

Certain statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties like government actions, local, political or economic developments, technological risks, and many other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. Aster DM Healthcare will not be in any way responsible for any action taken based on such statements and undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.