LUCKNOW, June 29 -- The health department is developing a hub and spoke model to provide speciality treatment to cardiac patients from at least 18 districts in Uttar Pradesh under the STEMI ( (Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Coordinated Acute Response and Early Intervention) care project that aims to improve the management of heart attacks by ensuring timely intervention, particularly within the golden hour, after symptom onset. This model aims to reduce the time taken to initiate treatment and avoid extensive travel for patients. Premier medical institutions like the King George's Medical University (KGMU), Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGI), and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) will serve as "hubs" with expert cardiologists who can provide guidance for treatment. District government health facilities will act as "spokes." When a cardiac patient reports to a spoke facility, doctors there can consult with the specialists at the hubs to assess the patient's condition and begin immediate treatment. This guidance can be provided remotely, eliminating the need for the patient to travel to the higher centre. "This will be crucial to reduce the time taken to start treatment. It will be made possible by avoiding travel of patients from the district to higher centre, instead specialists at the higher centre or hub will guide doctors in the district or spoke and treatment will start immediately," said Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, principal secretary, medical health, who has developed the model. For example, KGMU is the hub for four districts or spokes - Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi and Sitapur. If a patient reports to a community health centre on the outskirts of Lucknow, the patient can either be brought to KGMU or doctors at the CHC can assess the condition and take guidance from the medical university experts for treatment, which can start immediately. Similarly, Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences has been made the spoke for 11 districts, including Ayodhya and Varanasi. The project involves training healthcare professionals in primary treatment and assessment of the patients' condition. The training has been completed in almost all districts and the programme has begun. SGPGIMS launched the programme on Saturday.Till now, total 111 STEMI cases have been attended by KGMU and 52 thrombolysis procedures conducted while RMLIMS has conducted 17 thrombolysis procedures for patients. "In the next phase, we will connect other medical colleges to their nearby districts. A detailed work plan is being made to implement the hub-and-spoke model in the entire state," said Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma. Prof Rishi Sethi is heading the programme at KGMU and Prof Aditya Kapoor is doing so at SGPGIMS. KGMU Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Sitapur RMLIMS Ayodhya, Balrampur, Ambedkarnagar, Bahraich, Barabanki, Gonda, Shravasti, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Mau, Varanasi SGPGIMS Amethi, Fatehpur, Rae Bareli...