T.N. receives persons seeking medical care from 30 countries: Health Minister

Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian at the launch of the Cardiac Shock Team at the Kauvery Hospital Vadapalani in Chennai on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SRINATH M

Unlike in the past when persons in Tamil Nadu went abroad for medical care, the State receives persons from 30 countries seeking various treatments, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said.

“Nearly 30 to 40 years ago, or even until 10 to 15 years ago, many persons in Tamil Nadu used to go abroad for medical treatment,” he said. Now, people from abroad are seeking treatment in hospitals in TN for neurological conditions, knee replacements, organ transplants as well as cardiac ailments, he added, while speaking at an event at Kauvery Hospital, Vadapalani where he launched a ‘Cardiac Shock Team’ on Thursday.

Under ‘Idhayam Kappom’ a scheme that was launched in June 2023, emergency loading doses were stocked at 10,000 rural health facilities — 8,713 Health Sub-Centres (HSC) and 2,286 Primary Health Centres (PHC). Persons having mild cardiac symptoms are given loading doses and immediately shifted to a tertiary care centre under the scheme, he said. “So far, 10,474 persons have benefitted by taking the loading doses in PHCs and 613 in HSCs,” the Minister said.

Speaking on management of cardiac shock, S. Thanikachalam, chairman and director, Cardiac Care Centre, Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, observed that every moment counted while transferring a patient to a tertiary care centre. A mechanism to hold traffic and allow the vehicle to pass is necessary, and there could be set protocols for management. “A modus operandi of how to transfer a patient to a tertiary care centre is important,” he added.

P. Manokar, senior consultant, Interventional Cardiology and Clinical Lead, Heart Failure and Transplant Programme at the Kauvery hospital, said cardiogenic shock has a significantly high mortality. Once a cardiogenic shock alert comes, the Cardiac Shock Team will be activated.

Timely intervention matters in managing cardiogenic shock, he said, adding that the team comprises cardiologist, interventional cardiologist, cardiac surgical team, vascular surgeons, cardiac intensivist, anaesthetist and support staff.

A.M.V. Prabhakara Raja, Member of Legislative Assembly and Aravindan Selvaraj, co-founder and executive director, Kauvery Group of Hospitals were present.