AP Govt to offer Rs 40,000 STEMI injection for free to heart patients from September

AMAVARATI: To save people from heart attacks within the golden hour the Andhra Pradesh Government in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has come up with a novel programme of providing them an injection worth Rs 40,000 free of cost under a pilot project from September 29, 2023.

The pilot project will be launched in four hubs, Chittoor, Guntur, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam with 61 spokes for spreading the operation. The programme will then be extended all across the State from 2024. The State Government has created 94 new medical posts to run the programme smoothly.

The State Government, concerned about the growing incidence of heart attacks even in young people has come up with a programme where the injection will be given to the patient within one hour. Patients suffering the ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) will be given Streptokinase injection in a vein to break down clots in cases of myocardial infarction (heart attack), pulmonary embolism, and arterial thromboembolism.

The Government made plans to bring the patient to the nearest medical facility where the problem will be diagnosed with the help of an ECG or colour doppler before administering the life-saving injection. The Government already set the stage for launching the programme by stocking the injections at the district hospitals within 100 km of distance, that have a cath lab facility. Primary Health Centres (PHCs) attached to these hospitals could provide basic cardiac treatment in case the patient needs to be transported from a distance. The State Government has spent Rs 120 crore to set up these cath labs and trained the necessary staff.

Andhra Pradesh which has around 34 lakh people suffering from some kind of heart ailment also embarked on an awareness programme to educate people about the disease with the help of ANMs, family doctors and community health centres. Patients showing symptoms of heart attack will be first shifted to the spokes centre in 108 ambulance. From there based on their condition the patients will be shifted to the district hospital or teaching hospital.

In all 13 spokes centres linked to four hubs will be operating in Chittoor, 16 in Kurnool, 15 in Visakhapatnam and 17 in Visakhapatnam.