SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
Goa is witnessing a critical rise in cardiovascular health chal lenges, with the State recording over 200 heart attack cases every month, according to Dr Sandesh Madkai kar, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) at the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Goa. The high incidence of acute cardi ac events, specifically ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), is closely linked to the high prevalence of underlying lifestyle-related condi tions among the local population. “According to data from the Na tional Family Health Survey (NFHS), a significant portion of Goa’s adult population is affected by key non-communicable conditions. Ap proximately 50% of the population aged 30 and above suffers from high blood pressure.
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Around 34% of the population has been diag nosed with diabetes,” Dr Madkaikar said. He noted that the combination of diabetes and hypertension creates a dangerous “concoction” that signif icantly increases the risk of severe heart ailments and related health issues. “The monthly average of over 200 heart attack cases is distributed across the State’s healthcare facil ities. The district hospitals report around 100 cases per month.
The Goa Medical College (GMC) sees around 50 to 60 cases per month, while private hospitals record 50 to 60 cases,” the CMO (NCD), DHS, said. He added that compared to a decade ago, cardiology de partments and specialists in the State are increasingly over burdened with heart cases. On the treatment front, he said Goa holds the distinction of being the first State in India to implement the STEMI (ST-El evation Myocardial Infarction) programme, a specialised emergency cardiac care initiative that has since been emulat ed by six to seven other States. “Under this care model, patients reporting to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) or peripheral centres receive rapid di agnosis. Critical patients are transported via specialised car diac ambulances directly to advanced facilities like the GMC for emergency thrombolysis and advanced cardiology care,” he said. Costly thrombolytic medications and emergency treat ments are provided to ensure lives are saved and heart mus cle is preserved through early intervention.
Dr Madkaikar emphasised that individual preventive meas ures are the first line of defence against cardiac ailments. Consultant–Interventional Cardiology Dr Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay said cardiovascular disease (CVD) is ris ing at almost epidemic proportions because diabetes and blood pressure levels are among the highest in the country. “Goa has the highest prevalence of diabetes (26%). Near ly 45% of the State’s population has high blood pressure and hypertension. Almost 10 to 20% of the population is diagnosed with heart disease and kidney disease. Individ uals must regularly monitor key risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, while also recognising warning symptoms and seeking medical attention immedi ately,” Dr Mukhopadhyay said.
He stressed that awareness and timely action can play a crucial role in preventing serious cardiac complications. Consultant–Interventional Cardiology Dr Jyoti Kusnur highlighted how minimally invasive interventions can ef fectively treat patients across age groups. “A 98-year-old patient was successfully treated with a permanent pacemaker, while a young woman with an atri al septal defect was treated through transcatheter device closure.
These cases demonstrate the role of timely inter vention and appropriate patient selection in improving outcomes,” she said. Consultant-Cardiology Dr Noel Henriques highlighted the importance of comprehensive cardiac investigations for early and accurate diagnosis. “Routine and advanced tools, including ECG, echocar diography, stress testing, Holter monitoring, Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography and Transesophageal Echocardi ography, help cl.inicians assess cardiac function and guide timely treatment,” Dr Henriques said.
