U.P launches drive to curb rising heart attack deaths

The UP STEMI Care Program, launched by the state government and SGPGIMS, aims to reduce heart attack deaths through timely diagnosis and treatment.

In a major initiative aimed at reducing deaths from heart attacks, the state government, in collaboration with Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), launched the UP STEMI Care Program on Saturday. The move is designed to address the alarming rise in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) — a severe and time-critical form of heart attack — by providing early diagnosis and treatment, especially in rural and underserved areas of the district and its nearby areas.

(For representation)

At the launch event, Professor Aditya Kapoor, the head of Cardiology at SGPGIMS, said, “This programme is a major leap in reducing preventable cardiac deaths in UP. By combining medical expertise with government support, we are creating a model that the entire country can follow.”

The core of the programme is a hub-and-spoke model that ensures timely thrombolysis (clot-busting treatment) at peripheral hospitals, with rapid referral for advanced cardiac interventions like PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) at tertiary care centre such as SGPGIMS. The initiative includes the distribution of tenecteplase, a potent fibrinolytic drug, and the deployment of tele-ECG technology for real-time diagnosis and treatment initiation.

Under this strategy, community and district hospitals (spokes) are now equipped to deliver fibrinolysis within the crucial first hour of a heart attack, while specialised hubs like SGPGIMS will handle advanced care within 3–24 hours. This closes a long-standing gap between early intervention and expert treatment.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in India, accounting for over 28% of all deaths, according to a government note. Coronary artery disease (CAD), a major contributor, is now affecting Indians nearly a decade earlier than those in Western countries.

In Uttar Pradesh alone, nearly 5 lakh STEMI cases occur annually, and access to timely, specialised care remains limited in non-urban regions. Among those aged 40–69 and above 70, CAD accounts for nearly 25% of all deaths. Even among those under 40, CAD causes 10% of all deaths — an alarming statistic that underscores the urgency of intervention.

Regarding the initiative, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, the principal secretary of Health and Medical Education, said, “This is a blueprint for scalable cardiac care across India.”

Prof. R.K. Dhiman of SGPGIMS expressed his full support to the programme, calling it a transformative step in public health and assuring continued institutional backing.