Grande International Hospital organized a Continuing Medical Education (CME), “Mission to Save Heart”, with medical fraternity from hospitals and medical colleges as participants. The program was aimed at enabling the participating health care providers, regardless of their field of expertise, level of experience and availability of resources, to provide best possible care in cardiac emergencies, most notably Myocardial Infarction (MI) or heart attack as it is commonly known. Remarkably, Heart Attack accounts for estimated 20,000 (WHO) to 40,000 (various international data) deaths. Delays in seeking care and failure to provide prompt treatment is to be blamed for vast majority of these deaths. It is expected that this program will prove pivotal in significantly downgrading the burden exerted by heart diseases, reducing the deaths and disabilities. Around 150 doctors from hospitals within Kathmandu gathered for a day of marathon case presentations, discussions and question answer sessions.
The program was graced by dignitaries including senior doctors from Nepal and India and well known personalities from Nepal and India’s health care sector. Inaugurated by Dr. B.R. Shetty (MD,CEO of NMC Health Care), the program also saw the presence of Dr. Upendra Mahato (Former President, Non Residential Nepalese Association and a philanthropist), Dr. Chakra Raj Pandey (Medical Director, Grande International Hospital), Dr. Subhash Chandra (Senior Cardiologist, BLK Hospital, India) and Dr. Shafeek Mohammed among others.
Dr. Chakra Raj Pandey reiterated his and Grande International Hospital’s aspiration to provide best possible health care services and the need to create a credible and accountable health care sector in Nepal, for present generation and other generations to come. Dr. Subhash Chandra put a broader perspective, reiterating that program like these will come handy for health care providers in South East Asian countries to make a prompt diagnosis, shorten the response time and thus avert the deaths and disabilities due to Cardiac Emergencies like Heart Attack.
Dr. Upendra Mahato, in his thought-provoking speech, encouraged all to put service and philanthropy before profit. He assured that Grande International Hospital will continue its mission for “Quality health care at affordable cost.”
Quality Health care is widely recognized as a birth right. However, with this commitment come the known and new found challenges. This applies significantly to South East Asian region where doctors and other health care providers struggle with limited infrastructures and equipment, budgetary constraints and geographical ruggedness. The CME was designed to equip the participants with skills necessary to tackle such inefficiencies intelligently with limited resources, based on accepted protocols, thus “saving the heart”. The CME shed light into the most cost effective and less time consuming methods in the management of cardiac emergencies. At the core of the program were Dr. Om Murti Anil and Dr. Subhash Chandra, who questioned, answered and at times tested the participants with carefully selected cases to instil skills for practical approach to management of Heart Attack. The participants not only had their insight challenged and refreshed, but also had their confidence in handling cardiac emergencies renewed. They explored new frontiers in the field of management of Heart Attack. It is expected that program like this will make a lasting impression in ensuring quality health care to anyone who needs it, not only in the urban areas, but also in most difficult terrain, as seen in Nepal.
In another grand gesture, with the spirit of “health for all”, a fund of 2.5 million rupees was announced for underprivileged seeking cardiac care at Grande International Hospital. It is expected that this act will add lustre to the already exhaustive list of commitments made by Grande International Hospital to Nepalese health sector.
