AP to launch STEMI for heart patients in September

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government will launch on September 29 ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) as a pilot project with support from Indian Council of Medical Research to save patients who suffer heart attacks within the golden hour.

State health authorities said the main objective of the programme is to identify the patient suffering with symptoms of heart complication and shift him / her to a nearby hospital immediately, where they would be administered an injection to help save their lives. They will be subsequently shifted to a big hospital and based on requirement provided treatment or surgery.

According to a survey, nearly 38 lakh patients are suffering with heart-related complaints in AP. Andhra Pradesh is registering more number of deaths due to heart attack, with nearly 32 per cent of people losing their lives.

Following this, the state government has set up four heart hubs at SVRR Government Hospital in Tirupati, government hospitals at Guntur and Kurnool, and at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam. In addition, 61 spoke services have been set up to provide heart-care services to patients.

As part of the programme, especially in rural areas, ANMs, family doctors and community health centres will reach out to people and bring about awareness on heart problems among people. In case any person is suffering with symptoms of heart complaint, he or she will be shifted to spoke service centres and provided treatment.

For the purpose, the state government has sanctioned 94 posts in 11 government medical colleges to fill up posts in cardiology, cath lab, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery departments.

STEMI project will be implemented full-fledged in the state from January 2024.