Punjab expands STEMI project for heart attack patients
Health minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday launched the state-wide expansion of the Punjab STEMI Project on National Doctors' Day, empowering all the district and sub-divisional hospitals across the state to give thrombolysis treatment by administering a clot buster drug Tenecteplase to save patient life in case of heart attack.
This ambitious initiative, also known as 'Mission Amrit' (Acute Myocardial Reperfusion in Time), aims to dramatically improve outcomes for patients experiencing ST-Segment Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), the most severe type of heart attack.
The minister accompanied by principal secretary health Kumar Rahul and professor and head of cardiology at DMCH-Ludhiana Dr Bishav Mohan, launched the project here and said that the Tenecteplase injection, which costs around ₹ 30,000, is being administered free of cost under this project.
'This injection helps to dissolve blood clots in the heart,' he added.
The project was launched across the state after the success of a pilot project, which was initially implemented in two districts— Ludhiana and Patiala— and extended to nine more districts later. In the pilot stage, approximately 14,000 chest pain patients have been enrolled, and out of 1305 STEMI patients identified, 583 have successfully received thrombolysis at district health facilities.
To ensure project's success, the minister said that over 700 staff members, including medical specialists, emergency medical officers (emos), and staff nurses from all 23 districts, have undergone intensive capacity-building training programmes at DMCH-Ludhiana.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Air pollution is a greater threat than tobacco, says doctor
Former director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences-Delhi and renowned pulmonologist Randeep Guleria issued a stark warning about the public health crisis posed by air pollution, calling it a greater threat than tobacco, during an address in Hyderabad on Tuesday, celebrated as National Doctors' Day. Speaking at the event organised by the Indian Medical Association, Dr. Guleria urged the medical community to adopt the 'One Health' approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health. 'Air pollution is a silent killer,' Dr. Guleria said, citing recent studies that attribute 8.1 million deaths globally in 2021 to air pollution, a toll greater than that of COVID-19. He said the rise of non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders has overtaken communicable diseases as the dominant health burden in India, particularly in southern States. 'Air pollution is now among the top three causes of death and disability globally, and we are not paying enough attention,' he said. Highlighting how particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, Dr. Guleria explained its link to a range of diseases, including asthma, strokes, dementia, low birth weight, and even osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. 'We now have evidence that air pollution is linked to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, reproductive issues and even spontaneous abortions,' he said. He also drew attention to the disproportionate impact of poor air quality in Indian cities. He referred to a recent study covering ten Indian cities, including Hyderabad, Mumbai, Varanasi and Shimla, that showed a 1.4% rise in daily mortality associated with PM2.5 exposure, even at pollution levels below India's current permissible standards. 'This is not a Delhi problem. It is a Hyderabad problem, a Varanasi problem, a Srinagar problem. The entire nation is breathing poison,' he said. He also warned that current Indian air quality standards are far above what the World Health Organization recommends, and called for urgent revision and implementation. 'Pandemics are not rare anymore. In the last 25 years, we have seen two global pandemics and several major outbreaks. This is directly tied to how we are treating the planet,' he said. He concluded with a call for collaborative, multi-sectoral action. 'We need doctors, veterinarians, environmental scientists, urban planners, and policy-makers to work together. Without a unified approach, we will keep losing lives, silently and steadily to the air we breathe and the systems we ignore.' The event was attended by Indian Medical Association (IMA) national president Dilip Bhanushali, IMA Telangana president Dwarkanath Reddy and AIG Hospital chairman D. Nageshwar Reddy among other senior doctors.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
FMGs Foreign Medical Graduates continue protest seeking permanent registration
Even as the protest by Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) seeking to expedite the issuance of Permanent Registrations (PRs) entered the third day here Wednesday (July 2), Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav discussed the issue with A.P. Medical Council (APMC) members and called for a quick resolution. In a meeting with Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences(Dr. NTRUHS) vice-chancellor P. Chandrasekhar, APMC chairman D. Sreehari Rao, registrar I. Ramesh, Director of Medical Education (DME) D.S.V.L. Narasimham at the university in Vijayawada on Wednesday, the Minister asked the APMC chairman and registrar to inform the National Medical Commission (NMC-New Delhi) about the issue and find a way to resolve it. According to a press release from the department, the Minister also directed the duo to get clarity on the duration of the internship to be allotted for graduates who studied a part of their course online during the pandemic. The APMC informed the Minister that graduates who sent an application before 2021 have been granted PRs. Meanwhile, the graduates, who have been staging protests for the past two days, were denied permission to continue the protest at the university on Wednesday. Following this, many went to Dharna Chowk in the city. Madhavi (name changed), one of the protesters, said: 'We did not do sloganeering. We did not create any law and order issue, but we were whisked away by the police on Tuesday night. On the one hand, people celebrated National Doctors' Day, and on the other, we were humiliated in every possible way.' Madhavi, who passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam and appeared for counselling in May 2023, was allotted a two-year internship. 'While some other people from my batch were allotted a one-year internship, I was asked to undergo a two-year internship. No explanation was given by the APMC back then,' said Madhavi, who was in India for a duration of 10 months during the pandemic. She has a compensation certificate from her university. The graduates, who have been staging protests now and then since July 2024, are wondering how many more days they would have to wait. 'Our batchmates in other States are laughing at our situation. It has been three-four years since we completed our medical courses, equivalent to MBBS, in other countries. Many of us are waiting to pursue postgraduation, which is another 3-year course. When will we get PRs and when will we write NEET-PG? We are in our late 20s now,' said another graduate.
Deccan Herald
8 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Panic-stricken people flock to Jayadeva Hospital as cardiac arrest deaths rise
Kalaburagi: The reports of an increase in heart attack cases in Hassan has created panic among the general public, with more people starting to visit Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research here for heart-related May, the number of new patients visiting the out-patient department (OPD) for health check-ups was up to 4,900, and this has increased to 5,535 in June. However, the people admitted for treatment have not witnessed much increase despite the rise in the number of new OPDs.A total of 9,708 people, including old and new patients, visited the OPD in January. Of these, 686 patients (7.06 percent) were admitted for treatment. Out of a total of 11,056 visits in June, 798 patients (7.21%) were admitted. Hospital doctors said that there is no significant increase in the number of OPDs increased, there has also been a rise in heart-related ECG, 2D echo-cardiogram, treadmill test, biochemistry, and pathology tests. In January, 7,390 ECGs, 4,535 2D echo-cardiogram tests, 199 treadmill tests, 14,699 biochemistry and 5,023 pathology tests were performed. In June, 8,666 ECGs, 4,599 2D echo-cardiogram tests, 274 treadmill tests, 17,090 biochemistry and 5,9024 pathology tests were performed."People are coming to the hospital in large numbers out of anxiety and requesting for heart-related treatment after watching news in the media. Treatment is being provided based on their medical condition. The daily OPD patients have increased to 600 as against 400 patients just two weeks ago. They are coming out of anxiety even if they have heartburn due to gastritis", the hospital cardiologist and in-charge medical superintendent, Dr Viresh Patil, said. 371-bed hospitalThe expansion of the branch from the 135-bed hospital to the 371-bed hospital has added more strength to the government healthcare, as poor and middle-class people from backward Kalyana Karnataka region can avail treatment at affordable rates. The new building was thrown open to the public in December last autonomous institute has also launched the Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) programme to link all government taluk hospitals in Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Bidar districts with it as part of its initiatives to expand affordable heart-care services to the poor and marginalised sections in rural areas. The doctors in these taluks have been trained about handling heart-related diseases with preliminary medication and procedures such as electrocardiogram (ECG) performed for the heart-attack patients at these taluk hospitals would be immediately transmitted to the SJICR branch office in Kalaburagi or its main campus in Bengaluru where expert cardiologists would examine the reports and guide the doctors about handling the cases in taluk hospitals. After the three-hour golden period of screening and preliminary treatment during the heart attack, the patients would be shifted to Kalaburagi branch hospital for further procedures such as angiogram and angioplasty.
