Marking National Doctors’ Day, Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh inaugurated the statewide expansion of the Punjab STEMI project—Mission Amrit (Acute Myocardial Reperfusion In Time)—to enable timely and life-saving treatment for heart attack patients across all 23 districts of the state.
The project focuses on ST-segment Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), the most serious type of heart attack. Under this initiative, all district and sub-divisional hospitals are now equipped to provide thrombolysis using the clot-dissolving drug Tenecteplase (TNK 40 mg), administered completely free of cost. The injection, which normally costs around ₹30,000, is now accessible to all eligible patients through government hospitals.
Initially launched as a pilot in Ludhiana and Patiala, and later extended to nine more districts, the project has shown promising results. Of nearly 14,000 chest pain patients evaluated, 1,305 were diagnosed with STEMI, and 583 successfully received thrombolytic therapy at local health facilities.
Dr Balbir Singh highlighted that delayed access to medical care has been a critical barrier in Punjab, with patients often reaching hospitals 2–3 hours after chest pain onset—well beyond the “golden hour,” the crucial time window when thrombolysis is most effective. The lack of immediate diagnostic and treatment infrastructure at local healthcare facilities further contributes to these delays.
To address this, the project uses an innovative hub-and-spoke model. District and sub-divisional hospitals act as “Spoke” centers for early diagnosis and treatment, while expert “Hub” hospitals—including DMCH Ludhiana, GMCH-32 Chandigarh, and four government medical colleges in Patiala, Faridkot, Amritsar, and AIIMS Bathinda—provide teleconsultation via ECG for remote clinical support. Patients are stabilized at spoke centers and then transferred to hub hospitals for further treatment.
Over 700 staff, including doctors, emergency medical officers, and nurses, have been trained at DMCH Ludhiana under the supervision of renowned cardiologist Dr Bishav Mohan. Emergency departments have been upgraded with ECG machines and defibrillators to manage acute cases.
Dr Mohan stressed the importance of public awareness, noting that many people confuse heart attack symptoms with gastric discomfort and delay seeking help. “Ischemic heart disease is India’s leading cause of death. Early thrombolysis dramatically improves outcomes. Mission Amrit ensures no patient is denied timely treatment due to distance or cost,” he said.