Heart diseases: Punjab CM decides to introduce ‘drip and shift’ approach

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the advances in primary angiography and decided to start “Drip and Shift” approach for heart patients.

In the first phase, “Drip and Shift” will be started in four districts in Punjab: Sheikhupura, Kasur, Chiniot, and Jhang.

Assistant to CM Dr Farqad Alamgir gave a briefing on the “Drip and Shift approach” and said that in case of a heart attack, the patient would be transported to the Tehsil and District Hospitals by ambulance after giving the required injection.

Patients will be transferred to the nearest hospital if the primary angiography facility is not available in the tehsil and district hospitals. Special ambulances of Rescue 1122 will transport cardiac patients to the hospital. The special ambulance of Rescue 1122 will be equipped with trained staff and necessary medical equipment.

He further explained in the meeting that more than 2,500 patients have access to primary angiography in nine major hospitals in Punjab and this access has made it possible to save the lives of hundreds of patients with heart disease.

The meeting was attended by provincial Minister Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Dr Javed Akram, Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education, Dr Farqad Alamgir, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board and DG Rescue 1122.

Moreover, caretaker provincial health ministers, Dr Javed Akram and Dr Jamal Nasir chaired a meeting which reviewed in detail the steps taken to provide more facilities to the patients coming for primary angioplasty.

Dr Javed Akram said on this occasion that SOPs need to be developed for “Drip and Shift” of primary angioplasty patient. Primary angioplasty facilities are going to be improved in the hospitals of Kasur, Sheikhupura, Jhang and Chiniot. An alert system will be created to shift patients suffering from heart diseases from home to hospital. In the second phase, primary angioplasty facilities will be further improved across Punjab. Both cath labs in Punjab Institute of Cardiology will remain open on Eid days.

The caretaker provincial minister of primary and secondary health care department, Dr Jamal Nasir, said on this occasion that there is an urgent need to improve the conditions of the laboratories of government hospitals for

the safe treatment of patients suffering from heart diseases.

Dr Farqad Alamgir said that the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, has directed to provide better facilities for primary angioplasty to patients suffering from heart diseases. In this regard, visits will be made to the government hospitals of Kasur, Sheikhupura, Jhang and Chiniot.

Punjab Health Secretary Dr Ahmad Javed Qazi said on this occasion that we are monitoring the facilities provided to patients who come for primary angioplasty in Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023