NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Five new 108 cardiac ambulances and STEMI care programme, a first-of-its-kind in the state for critical cardiac emergencies were on Friday launched by the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
“This is the first time cardiac ambulances are put into service in India. These cardiac ambulances have life-saving equipment and are being deployed throughout the state to improve medical care,” said Rane while addressing the media persons after launching the ambulances at the ESG Complex in Panaji.
He said that STEMI care programme will be implemented in a phased manner and cardiac ambulances were part of the programme. STEMI is a serious type of a heart attack during which one of the heart’s major arteries is blocked.
Senior consultant of cardiology unit of Goa Medical College and Hospital Dr Guruprasad Naik said that the idea behind this care is to provide prompt care to the patient. The focus would be on thrombolysing the patient as early as possible.
“Under this system, STEMI will be diagnosed by the doctors on the ground who will evaluate the patient and the ECG report will be electronically transmitted to an expert doctor in hospital who will confirm the heart attack and then the patient can be thrombolysed,” said Dr Naik adding that the care provided will be such that we will limit the damage to the heart muscle by treating the patient early and provide the related treatment.
He said that initially there will be nine centres as part of STEMI care programme which will be set up in existing hospitals in a phased manner in Goa and required drugs will be made available at these centres. Rane further said that along with GMC, the district hospitals will also have upgraded facilities in coronial unit and around 40 doctors from PHC and CHC along with district hospitals and GMC will be trained to deal with patients under STEMI care system.
The government hospitals in Goa treat approximately 1,440 patients with STEMI every year and probably a similar number of patients receive treatment in the private sector. Around Rs 3 crore will be required annually to purchase the medicines under this project, he added.
He informed that MRF Company has provided Rs 1.5 crore for the procurement of these ambulances along with advanced equipment.
The cardiac ambulances will have 17 trained allopathic doctors and EMT staff onboard and will be available round-the-clock. These ambulances are equipped with modern life-saving equipment like a defibrillator with 12 lead ECG capability, ventilator, syringe infusion pumps for continuous medicine administration oxygen, suction machine, equipment to incubate patient and emergency drugs used in the critical care of a cardiac patient.
Two of the five ambulances will be put into service initially in north and south Goa and later others would be stationed at Bambolim, Mapusa, Margao, Ponda, and Canacona. He informed that the government has approved an in-house pharmacy in GMC where all the medicines including the medicines which are not made available by GAPL will be available.
Rane informed that the health department is contemplating to start a cath lab in new South Goa district hospital and if the required government may also take Apollo hospital’s cath lab on lease. He said that mega health camps which are currently being conducted only in Sattari will also be held in all the constituencies of the state.