Jammu, Dec 21: Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK) Friday commemorated the first anniversary of Save Hearts Initiative (SHI). SHI was launched by Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir on 21st December 2017.
In a press release issued here, the directorate under the initiative managed more than 12000 patients with heart ailment till date under a well devised networking model supervised by specialist and super specialists. Among 12,000 cases more than 2500 myocardial infarction, 500 thrombolysis, 200 plus heart blocks, 65 Primary Cardiac Interventions along with other heart ailments have been successfully managed at various District & Sub District Hospitals of Kashmir Division before being referred to tertiary care hospitals for advanced interventions.
The initiative which has been acknowledged and appreciated nationally as well was started because of increasing number of myocardial infarction especially in young population. 64% cases were from peripheral hospitals and 84% had delayed presentation due to delay in diagnosis and transportation.
Dr Rehana Kausar who heads the academic wing of SHI said that the Directorate at Division of Epidemiology and Public Health Barzulla till date have conducted 22 training sessions for medical officers and trained above 500 doctors in reading ECG, picking up abnormalities and treatment and referral at peripheral level with constant, real-time inputs from cardiologist at SKIMS and SMHS Hospitals and physician consultants from the directorate using SHI WhatsApp group.
Dr Kunzes Dolma, Director Health Services Kashmir while appreciating the efforts of Cardiologists from SKIMS & SMHS, Physician Specialists (members of SHI) and all the medical officers along with the paramedical and supportive staff of peripheral hospitals associated with SHI, stated that Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir is the only Directorate across the country wherein thrombolysis along with other primary interventions during golden hour of any cardiac emergency are being done at District and upto Sub-District Hospital level. She also said that the establishment of Emergency Rooms in all District & Sub District Hospitals along with availability of skilled staff and emergency drugs has played a key role in handling cardiac & other medical emergencies and this shall go a long way in saving hearts of the patients which is the sole motto of the Save Hearts Initiative.
