M.S. Ramaiah Medical College, M.S.Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, MSR Advanced Learning Centre, University of Illinois at Chicago and Medtronic announced the launch of HeartRescue India. The programme is a first-of-its-kind, $4.4- million collaborative effort funded by Medtronic philanthropy that supports community-based demonstration projects designed to expand access to life-saving interventions for cardiovascular events such as heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.

M.S. Ramaiah Medical College will lead the effort, other HeartRescue India partners will contribute at varied levels of support and expertise. Research Triangle Institute International will help coordinate global and country level activities. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington will drive monitoring and evaluation. And the University of Illinois Center for Global Health and the University of Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center will provide emergency care technical expertise.

HeartRescue India’s overarching goal is to implement a model of care for patients with acute cardiac emergencies in the community that minimises critical delays to treatment and saves lives.

Building on a successful five-year programme in the United States, HeartRescue India partners will coordinate implementation in Bangalore, which will include community outreach efforts to improve knowledge of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest, teaching families how to call for emergency help and if necessary perform life-saving CPR.

“Our plan is to work with local and national partners to design an integrated and scalable emergency response system using community health responders, 108 emergency dispatch, and designated hub and spoke hospitals,” said Dr. Aruna C Ramesh, head of emergency medicine and trauma at M.S. Ramaiah Hospital, and the principal investigator on the HeartRescue India programme.

He further adds, “We believe we can substantially boost the number of patients who receive timely, effective care, and ultimately save many more lives in the process.”

“Improving access to healthcare is at the core of what we do. Our global and local partnerships lead to a strengthened continuum of care for the patients we serve, which in turn leads to better outcomes, and healthier communities.” said Milind Shah, a board member of Medtronic philanthropy, and vice president of Medtronic South Asia and managing director of Medtronic India.