Karnataka to soon extend Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi Yojane to all taluks

Karnataka Health Department extends Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi Yojane to all taluks, saving lives with heart attack management.

Based on the success of the Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi Yojane that is currently being implemented in 86 government hospitals, the Karnataka Health Department is now working on extending the scheme in all taluks.

The Health Department named Karnataka’s heart attack (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction - STEMI) management project at taluk level as Puneeth Rajkumar Hrudaya Jyothi scheme last year. The project launched to avoid delay in providing diagnosis and treatment to heart attack patients in rural areas is being implemented on a ‘hub and spoke’ model.

September 29 is observed as World Heart Day.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told The Hindu on Saturday that based on the success of the scheme, it would now be extended across the State. “As of now, 86 hospitals (15 districts and 71 taluk hospitals) are functioning as ‘spoke’ centres. Besides, 10 ‘hubs’ were created in 16 super-specialty hospitals, including Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research. As the scheme is doing very well, we are working on shortly extending the scheme in all taluks,” he said.

Since March 2023, of the 2,69,091 patients who presented with chest pain in these 86 healthcare facilities, doctors have been able to save the lives of 2,363 patients, including 390 aged below 45.

Besides, doctors were able to save the lives of 245 patients, who presented with symptoms of heart attack since July 2024 by administering tenecteplase injection, a first-line treatment for heart attack, under the scheme. This injection is used to treat myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) as soon as possible (usually within nine hours) after the onset of symptoms.

While private hospitals charge over ₹25,000 for one tenecteplase injection, the Health Department has been providing it for free to the patients under the scheme since this July. All critical patients are being followed for up to six months to check their health condition, post-discharge, which in turn is helping in the reduction of the morbidity burden of the State.