Heart attacks in India account for 1.5 to 3 million fatalities annually. This makes them the primary cause of death and disability. Young adults account for 35% of these deaths, according to the WHO. According to recent reports, cardiovascular disease is becoming more prevalent in Maharashtra among men between the ages of 30 and 40 and women between the ages of 40 and 60.
Furthermore, ischemic heart disease raises the risk of heart attacks, the most frequent of which is ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), which results in early deaths and disability measured in Years of lost life (YLLs). The ST Elevation in Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) project is established for providing medical treatment to patients in the ‘Golden hour’ after suffering a heart attack. Prevent this situation, death due to heart disease can be prevented only by giving treatment to the patient in Golden hours and the STEMI project was established with this very objective.
The average wait time in India for patients with continuing heart attacks is 360 minutes, which is much longer than the ideal window of 90 minutes and leads to significant fatality rates. The Maharashtra government launched the STEMI Maharashtra initiative, a statewide AI-powered enhanced diagnosis, and care coordination program recognized by the National Health Mission, to tackle this epidemic and offer the entire state of Maharashtra top-notch cardiac care (NHM).
The goal is to shorten the time it takes for diagnosis and treatment, which will save lives, by enabling rapid diagnosis of heart disease in all government centers in Maharashtra and prompt treatment with a team of cardiologists at the tertiary care institutions.
The STEMI Maharashtra Program was introduced in 12 districts, which are Akola, Aurangabad, Jalna, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Ratnagiri, Solapur, Wardha, and Thane. There are 145 primary healthcare facilities in total, including rural hospitals, sub-district hospitals, and district hospitals. These facilities have been upgraded as spokes for STEMI detection and thrombolysis and are connected to 38 hubs as the closest tertiary care facility with a CATH LAB facility for treatment.
STEMI Maharashtra has established a comprehensive system of care for heart attacks based on four primary pillars, using cutting-edge technologies powered by Tricog Health Services:
- Spreading the word to patients to visit the closest government health center right away if they have symptoms like chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, etc.
- Establishing a system for quick detection using a cloud-connected 12-lead ECG, with the round-the-clock interpretation of the cases in a matter of minutes by medical professionals supported by AI, as well as a digital platform for care coordination and analytics.
- To ensure that patients with STEMI are transferred and treated as soon as possible, the state steering group, which is made up of renowned cardiologists, administrators, and experts, devised the STEMI Protocol management system
- For those who qualify, the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana program’s coverage of cardiac diagnostic and treatment, including thrombolysis, angioplasty, and bypass, extends to the inhabitants of Maharashtra.
Dr. CHarit Bhograi who is the CEO of Tricog Health said that with the cooperation of the STEMI Maharashtra team, we have successfully crossed a key milestone of more than two lakhs of patient screening and saved many precious lives in the state.
“Everyone should pledge to make every heart healthy by embracing a healthy lifestyle, quitting tobacco, and engaging in regular physical activity,” Dr. Padmaja Jogewar, Jt Director (NCD Cell), Directorate of Health Services, Govt of Maharashtra. Mr. Tope under whom this initiative was started, exhumes confidence that due to the STEMI project, the lives of the patients who have suffered a heart attack can be saved by administrating proper medicines with immediate effect and making available required medical facilities for them.
