Shillong(Meghalaya),Feb 25 : Health & Family Welfare Minister, James P K Sangma, today inaugurated the Phase II of ICMR – STEMI ACT PROJECT, at the Banquet Hall, Pinewood Hotel, here .
Speaking on the occasion, Sangma congratulated NEIGRIHMS for bringing this project to the state of Meghalaya and term it as a big boom to the care of heart attack patient in the state especially for lower income group because clot buster medicine will be provided free of cost during this project to all eligible patients. He added that it is a matter of pride that ICMR has chosen NEIGRIHMS as its Nodal centre for implementing this scheme in Meghalaya, he also informed that the project will work in HUB and spoke model, NEIGRIHMS being the HUB (Command Centre) and 8 hospitals in Shillong including Civil Hospital Shillong, Ganesh Das Government Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Reid Provincial Chest Hospital, Dr H Gordon Robert Hospital, Nazareth Hospital, Woodland Hospital, Supercare Hospital and Bethany Hospital will be the spoke centres.
He further added that heart attack is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the country and the state and with project like this which focus on timely intervention of such heart attack patients, it will bring about positive change in outcomes of heart care delivery in Meghalaya.
Dr. Nalin Mehta. Director of NEIGRIHMS, informed that the project focuses on timely intervention in cases of heart attacks and saving precious lives by initiating treatment of block arteries of the heart within the golden hour (first 90 minutes) by administering clot buster (Thrombolytics) medicine. He also added that this project is the biggest service to mankind under which the clot buster medicine which cannot be afforded by everyone because of its high cost (Rs 20,000 to 25,000) will be provided free of cost.
Dr, Amit Malviya, Principal Investigator of the Project, explained the basic working of the project, “Any patients who visit with complaints of Chest pain or symptoms suggested of heart attack to any of the spoke centres will be screen with ECG and the ECG will be uploaded along with necessary details in a dedicated mobile application which will be received by the command centre (NEIGRIHMS), the command centre will analyzed and confirm the eligibility for clot buster medicine and if patient is eligible then the medicine will be administered immediately at the spoke centres free of cost.” He also informed that the training session of the doctors and the paramedics has been completed at NEIGRIHMS and DHS.
Others who were present included Ms. M N Nampui, Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Ms. R M Kurbah, Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr. Aman War, DHS (MI), among others.
