Two thrombolysis centres to open in Akola and Murtizapur for heart attack patients

Two thrombolysis centres will be set up in Akola district so that heart attack patients get timely treatment in an emergency. The centres will be at the District Women's Hospital in Akola and the Sub-District Hospital in Murtizapur. Each centre will have a separate arrangement of three beds, making six beds in all across Akola and Murtizapur.

The centres will begin serving the public soon. The groundwork and procedures needed for this are under way under the guidance of Dr Aarti Kulwal, Deputy Director of Health Services and District Surgeon.

The main aim of the initiative is to give patients urgent treatment in a cardiac emergency and avoid serious complications. A total of 13 officers and staff are being appointed for the two centres, including two physicians, four medical officers and seven nurses.

A trained medical team will provide urgent treatment to patients as required. The facility will help patients in the district receive timely care.

When a blood clot forms in a blood vessel, it can obstruct blood flow. Thrombolysis is the treatment in which the clot is dissolved with the help of specific medicines. The treatment can be given, after careful selection of the patient, in a heart attack or in a certain type of stroke caused by interrupted blood supply to the brain. Time is critical for this treatment, meaning that how soon it is given matters. Once the centres start in Akola and Murtizapur, the patients concerned will be able to get urgent treatment locally.

World Thrombosis Day is observed every year on October 13. Medical experts say that regular exercise, keeping body weight under control, drinking enough water, avoiding smoking and moving about from time to time instead of sitting in one place for long are necessary to reduce the risk of blood clots in blood vessels.