ECG machines reach rural Karnataka through Anganwadi, PHCs

350 ECG machines have been set up in rural PHCs across the state, Jan Aushadhi Kendras and at one Anganwadi centre

Realising the inadequate facilities and delayed diagnosis in heart attack cases in rural areas, ‘CAD’ (Cardiology At Doorsteps), a crusade against coronary artery disease initiative, has installed an ECG machine at an Anganwadi centre in Ampar, a remote village in Kundapura taluk in Udupi district

Four people in the village, located 27 km from Kundapur town, died due to heart attacks, which prompted villagers to seek the help of the CAD Foundation in installing an ECG machine. Another ECG machine will be installed at an Aganwadi centre in Iruvail soon.

Dr Padmanabha Kamath, Professor and Head of Department of Cardiology in Kasturba Medical College Hospital, the person behind the CAD, said that the foundation had trained Anganwadi worker and Asha worker in handling ECG machine and sending the report to CAD WhatsApp group for further consultation.

The demonstration of ECG on three senior citizens was carried out at the centre soon after installation. “The Anganwadi worker volunteered to serve people and were trained,” Dr Kamath told DH.

In his tweet, Dr Kamath said, “This is pathbreaking. For decades, Ampar village in Kundapur didn’t have a PHC. A simple out-of-the-box thinking by a villager enlightened me. Today, we installed the country’s first-ever ECG machine at Ampar Anganwadi with support of local bodies.”

Advocate Umesh Shetty Shankat said Ampar has no road connectivity to reach hospitals during emergencies, with the nearest PHC located 12 km away. Even a sub-PHC is located 7 km away from the village. “We had lost four lives due to cardiac arrest in the past one year. The installation of the ECG machine will help in early diagnosis and rushing heart attack patients to the nearest hospital within the golden hour,” he added.

The Anganwadis will be kept open on Sundays for the benefit of the villagers, he said. With this, the CAD has installed 350 ECG machines in rural PHCs across the state, Jan Aushadhi Kendras and now at an Anganwadi centre, Kamath said.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had lauded the CAD’s initiative of installing ECG machines in rural areas.