THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
In December 2018, the Health Department tied up with a private company to provide "STEMI treatment" in 12 centers across Goa to patients who suffered from life threatening (or STEMI) cardiac arrests.
Six months later, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane says that almost 70% of patients diagnosed with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) (a life-threatening type of heart attack because the heart's major artery is blocked), have been saved because of the STEMI treatment introduced in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat on Thursday, Rane said that of the 370 patients diagnosed with STEMI across Goa from January to June this year, the preliminary "STEMI treatment" offered in the 12 health centers were successful for 258 of the people who were "thrombolysed."
Thrombolysis is the preliminary treatment given in the health centers when a STEMI heart attack is diagnosed, before then transferring patients to the GMC or Hospicio. Before the STEMI treatment made was made available in Goa, many patients would die after a severe heart attack because of no facilities for preliminary treatment.
The 30% of remaining STEMI patients were not thrombolysed either due to contra-indications or due to late presentation, he further said.
What's more, the injection used for thrombolysis, which costs Rs 25,000, is offered free of cost to patients by the government.
The 12 centers in which the treatment is currently being offered are the Azilo hospital, Hospicio hospital, Aldona, Valpoi, Sanquelim, Dharbandora, Ponda, Chicalim, Canacona, Panaji, Pernem and Curchorem health centers. From here, the patient is then shifted in an ambulance to GMC for more advanced treatment.
Rane, along with Dr Guruprasad Naik, Professor and Head of Department of Cardiology at GMC said that the Health Department was thinking of expanding these centers and including five more for better healthcare in Goa's hinterland areas.
"There is no reason why residents of the periphery areas should not receive the same healthcare facilities that residents of urban areas receive," said Rane. However, before selecting a center for "STEMI treatment", the government first makes sure that these centers are open 24x7, as an emergency can occur at any time.
Dr Naik said that centers which send a lot of cardiac arrest patients to the GMC would be expanded. One center which the government intends to work on is the Betkim center which sees a lot of such cases.
