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After Puneeth Rajkumar’s death, Karnataka plans guidelines for gyms
It still remains unclear if the intense training resulted in Puneeth’s death, but Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar on Monday said that the state government could bring guidelines for gymnasiums and fitness centres to meet any health-related emergencies at their premises.
Days after the untimely demise of Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, the Karnataka government is planning to bring in a guideline for gyms in the state. The 46-year-old actor passed away due to a cardiac arrest following an intense session at the gym on October 29.
It still remains unclear if the intense training resulted in his death, but Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar on Monday said that the state government could bring guidelines for gymnasiums and fitness centres to meet any health-related emergencies at their premises.
“After the untimely demise of Kannada film star Puneeth Rajkumar, several people have been asking me if exercising in gyms was safe at all. It is not right to think so due to stray cases,” he told reporters in Chikkaballapur.
He said that he was getting a summary prepared by renowned cardiologists that would be provided to gymnasiums and fitness centers across the state. “The guidelines will be on the type of equipment to be used in the gym and training the trainers to handle an emergency with first aid training,” the minister said.
Puneeth’s doctor Dr Ramana Rao, who diagnosed the actor hours before his death on Friday, said there was a strain in his heart. Rao said that Puneeth came to the clinic along with his wife complaining of weakness and didn’t mention any pain. Describing the death, sudden death, or cardiac arrest, Rao said that it is difficult to ascertain the reason for this untimely demise.
“(On Friday) around 11.15 am or 11.20 am, Puneeth and his wife Ashwini came to the clinic. I took him almost immediately and he told me that he was just returning from the gym. He also said that apart from his usual routine, he did an additional session of boxing and used steam room extensively,” explained Rao.
When Rao pointed out that the actor was sweating a lot, Puneeth said it was normal for him when returned from the gym. “Not to take any chances, within a minute, I checked his ECG. In the ECG we could see strain (in the heart), even though his heartbeat was normal. I didn’t want Appu (Puneeth) to hear this, so I told Ashwini to hospitalize him soon,” said Rao.
On his way from the clinic to the hospital, the actor breathed his last.
