Madhavbaug Institute of Preventive Cardiology (MIPC) has launched a one-year inter-pathy course for medical professionals to empower them with skills to address the growing menace of heart disease.

“We intend to enroll and train 100 medical professionals in the first year with skills set that would offer them a 360 degree approach toward preventive cardiology. We are also putting a mechanism in place to facilitate placement of all successful candidates at the conclusion of the course,” said Dr Jagdish Hiremath, chair professor of MIPC.

Inter-pathy is a combination of traditional Indian and modern medical science of allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurved. The course would be undertaken in e-learning format with contact hours at the end of the course for clinical training at leading cardiac tertiary centres.

Sharing the rationale behind the innovative e-learning course, Dr Rohit Sane, founder director of Madhavbaug as also advisory member of MIPC, said, “There is a severe dearth of skilled doctors to prevent immature cardiac deaths, considering the ratio of one cardiologist for over 15000 cardiac patients. Hence prevention is better than cure and we intend to address this issue that has social and economic ramifications, through this course.”

According to reliable data, more than 45 million Indians currently suffer from heart disease and consequently, more than 2 million die from heart attacks and cardiac causes and this is estimated to account for more than 35 per cent of total deaths by 2020.

From an economic perspective, close to 70 per cent of urban population is at risk of cardiac disease, which would cause a loss of close to $217 billion (Rs. 14,37,614 crore) to India in the next 10 years as per a study of World Economic Forum jointly with Harvard School of Public Health assuming alarming number of premature deaths.

As per another World Health Organisation report, a 2 per cent reduction to these mortality figures would result in the gain of $15 billion (Rs. 99,374 crore), which could be achieved through the preventive cardiology approach.

The course would encompass in-depth study of cardiac anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and modern examination and diagnostic procedures. Treatment tenets from modern medicine and surgical techniques as well as ayurvedic and homeopathy approaches to prevention and treatment would also be covered. Equipped with the skills garnered from the course, these preventive cardiologists can work on the entire spectrum of opportunities in this space, from independent practice, working in ICU’s, manning cardiac ambulances, assisting cardiologists to working with integrated treatment centers.

The e-learning course conducted in affiliation with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences will commence course from July 15 and admissions are currently underway.

Established as an academic unit of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, in collaboration with Vaidya Sane Ayurvedic Education and Research Trust, the institute develops curriculum and conducts research to train medicos as well as non-medicos in the field of preventive cardiology. Awareness in general public on prevention of heart disease as well research in this field will be carried out through the chair led by renowned cardiologist Dr Jagdish Hiremath to serve the society.