Karnataka’s ongoing heart attack (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction -STEMI) management project at taluk level — taken up to avoid delay in providing diagnosis and treatment to heart attack patients in rural areas — will now be called the Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi scheme.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told presspersons on Tuesday that the scheme is being implemented on a ‘hub and spoke’ model and through installation of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices in public places.
“As many as 85 hospitals at the district and taluk level will function as ‘spoke’ centres and ten ‘hubs’ will be created in 16 super-specialty hospitals, including Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research,” the Minister said.
“Anyone who has symptoms of chest pain can visit our ‘spoke’ centres and get an ECG done immediately. Also, through Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology by a private agency Tricog, we will be able to detect if their condition is critical or not, within four-five minutes. If the patient is in critical condition, he/she will be administered Tenecteplase injection — used to treat myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) as soon as possible (usually within nine hours) after the onset of symptoms — free of cost at ‘spoke’ centres in taluk hospitals,” the Minister said.
Injections
Asserting that the injection will help prevent immediate heart attacks for those who are in a critical stage, Mr. Gundu Rao said: “While private hospitals charge over ₹30,000 for one Tenecteplase injection, it will be given free of cost to the patients.”
He said after treatment at taluk or district hospital ‘spoke’ centres, if further treatment is needed, such patients will be shifted to super specialty hospital ‘hub’ centres for angiogram or angioplasty, if required. While BPL cardholders will get free treatment in ‘hubs’ of super specialty hospitals, APL cardholders can avail treatment under Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka Health Scheme, the Minister said.
“As many as 45 ‘spoke’ centres have been linked to three ‘hubs’ of Jayadeva in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Kalaburagi hospitals. Further, we have created seven ‘hubs’ including 13 super specialty hospitals in collaboration with our Medical College Hospitals and some private medical institutions. To ensure coverage, 40 ‘spoke’ centres, including 34 taluk and 6 district hospitals, are linked,” he said.
The Minister said 50 Automated External Defibrillator (AED) devices will be installed in public places including bus stands, railway stations, airport, Vidhana Soudha and High Court in Bengaluru and public places in other major cities. “It is estimated that the purchase of a single AED device can cost up to ₹1,10,000 and procurement of these devices is in progress,” he added.
