SGPGIMS to anchor UP's prog on prevention of rheumatic heart disease
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Lucknow: The state govt is set to roll out an elaborate campaign to achieve early diagnosis of rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) – which affect at least 2-3 out of 1000 children in Uttar Pradesh.
Prior to a full-fledged launch, a pilot of the campaign called 'RHD Roko' will be rolled out in Lucknow with the help of Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) under the stewardship of the departments of medical education and health.
"Recently, an outline of the campaign was finalised by the scientific advisory committee (SAC) that includes experts in cardiology from SGPGI besides agencies like Stanford Biodesign, American Heart Association, Fortis Escorts, UP National Health Mission, and others," said SGPGIMS director Prof RK Dhiman.
"Departments of cardiology and cardiovascular and thoracic will anchor the efforts. The aim is to ensure early screening of children with RF or RHD through a multi-tiered clinical pathway," he said.
"The main causes of RF/RHD in developing countries like ours include poor living conditions, overcrowding, and lack of a strong population-based surveillance system for problems like pharyngitis. A decline in the burden of RF/RHD in India can be achieved only with an organised approach for which this campaign was conceptualised," said head of cardiology department, SGPGIMS, Prof Aditya Kapoor.
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The scientific committee – which is presided over by principal secretary, medical education, Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma – has laid emphasis on early diagnosis and treatment of streptococcal (sore throat) infections to prevent RF/RHD. Underscoring the importance of a structured programme at the national and state level for prevention and control, the committee also recommended a community-based surveillance system to detect RF/RHD, based on symptoms, audible murmurs, and echocardiography.
"RHD Roko's multi-tiered clinical pathway includes initial screening via simple questionnaire. Suspected cases would undergo assessment by an AI-enabled digital stethoscope for murmur detection, and echocardiography at district hospitals. The confirmed cases would be referred to SGPGIMS for tertiary care," Sharma said.
He hoped that UP would serve as a model for RHD elimination across India. "The project represents a transformative effort in India's public health landscape, bringing together govt leadership, clinical expertise, technology innovation, and community engagement," he said.
The programme would use field workers of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) as the first point of contact with schoolchildren, which makes it implementable. "Such models show how global innovation and local implementation can come together to solve complex health challenges," Prof Dhiman said. AI stethoscope (designed by Tricog, AI Steth India) was tested in SGPGI and found to be reliable in picking up heart disease.
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