The Economics of Emergency Care
Heart Attacks and Stroke Care
How heart attacks and strokes need fast treatment, the cost of clot-busting drugs and angioplasty, and hub-and-spoke programmes like Tamil Nadu's STEMI network.
Heart attacks and strokes are emergencies.
Time matters
- Heart muscle and brain cells die quickly without blood flow.
- Clot-busting drugs or angioplasty must be given fast.
Costs
- Angioplasty can be costly in private hospitals.
- Price caps on stents in 2017 cut prices sharply.
Hub-and-spoke
Tamil Nadu’s STEMI programme links small hospitals (spokes) that give clot-busting drugs to large hospitals (hubs) for angioplasty.
Stroke units
Few hospitals have stroke units with CT scans ready 24/7.
Awareness
Knowing warning signs saves time.
The spoke hospital
A small hospital gives a heart attack patient clot-busting drugs, then transfers him to a hub for angioplasty.
Thinking heart attacks can wait until morning
Every minute counts.
Key takeaways
- Heart attacks and strokes need fast care.
- Stent price caps in 2017 cut costs.
- Tamil Nadu's STEMI network uses hub-and-spoke.
- Stroke units are scarce.
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