KARACHI: An experience to set up emergency care units in containers across Karachi and other cities of Sindh is fast becoming a success story for the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) which has saved more than 7,000 lives in two years and now getting recognition in other parts of the country as Punjab has showed interest in replicating the project for speedy access and fast diagnosis with early initiation of treatment of an acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, officials and data suggested on Friday.

They said the project, called chest pain unit (CPU), was first introduced in 2017 and since then some 290,920 people had been treated at over a dozen such facilities and 7,039 lives saved. These units set up in 12 different areas of Karachi and one each in Ghotki and Tando Bago had now become source of inspiration for other provinces amid growing complaints of heart diseases and limited resources to entertain the rising number of patients, they said.

“We were motivated to have CPUs because of traffic congestion in Kara­chi,” said Professor Nadeem Qamar, the NICVD executive director.

Punjab shows interest in setting up similar facilities in its cities

“For majority of people, it takes a lot of time to reach NICVD mainly during rush hours and many lives were lost on roads. Many patients of cardiac arrest require quick response and their lives can be saved with emergency care. A minor delay can cost them life. Due to easy access to emergency care and quick response, these units entertai­ned nearly 300,000 people in two years and saved over 7,000 lives. Due to success and appreciation, the demand has grown and we are planning more units in different areas of Karachi and other parts of the province.”

He said the project had inspired health officials in other parts of the country as well where the number of heart disease was on the rise, but they did not have enough resources, mainly at emergencies of their hospitals. A team from Punjab, he said, had recen­tly visited the CPUs in Karachi and took detailed briefing to initiate the same programme in their province.

As described by the NICVD, the CPUs, which were launched in May 2017, are offering speedy access and fast diagnosis with early initiation of treatment of an acute myocardial infarction or heart attack, which prevents muscle damage and ultimately enhance quality of life of the patient. This programme, it says, also educates the public to promptly seek medical care if they have symptoms of an AMI, such as chest pain, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, excessive sweating, syncope and regarding risk factors for coronary artery disease, particularly smoking.

“The CPUs are well-equipped facilities and have the appropriate diagnostic testing available to identify patients with an acute heart attack and are also equipped to resuscitate patients who become unstable. The CPUs are functionally designed to provide preliminary emergency care to heart patients. After providing initial treatment, the patient will be shifted immediately to the tertiary care set up at NICVD cath lab,” said Professor Qamar.

The project is also seen as a major step towards cure of heart-related diseases by a national representative body of doctors which suggests more such units for other illnesses with lasting support from the government. It believes that such projects can share the burden of hospitals and utilise maximum expertise of healthcare professionals with minimum cost.

“It’s definitely a good project, which should be initiated in other provinces by their respective governments as well,” said Dr Qaiser Sajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA-Centre).

More emergency care units with life-saving objectives were required because of the growing population and unending traffic congestions in big cities, he added.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2019