Maha plans hub and spoke robotic stroke treatment project for rural hospitals
Mumbai: To strengthen emergency healthcare services in rural areas, Maharashtra Minister of Public Health, Prakash Abitkar, has directed officials to prepare a proposal to soon launch a Remote Robotic Neurointervention project for stroke patients.
In this regard, a high-level review meeting was held at the Directorate of Health Services, attended by MP Dr Anil Bonde, MLA Uma Khapre, senior health officials, and experts from KEM Hospital.
Senior Neurosurgeon Nitin Dange, who led a pilot robotic stroke intervention project at KEM Hospital in 2020, was also present during the meeting.
The objective of this initiative is to provide advanced treatment to patients within the critical "Golden Hour", particularly in rural and remote areas, where specialist doctors and modern medical facilities are often limited.
According to the Free Press Journal media report, under the proposed "Hub and Spoke" model, Mumbai's KEM Hospital will serve as the central robotic control hub, while district and taluka hospitals will function as spoke centres equipped with robotic systems. Through telecommunication and digital networks, expert doctors in Mumbai will remotely guide local medical teams in performing stroke intervention procedures.
The State Health Department is already establishing Cath Labs at 11 locations across Maharashtra, and five of these centres are likely to be selected for the pilot phase of this project.
Officials stated that the majority of the necessary infrastructure is already available with the Public Health Department; additional investment will primarily be required for robotic equipment. To facilitate its smoother implementation, this project is also expected to incorporate telemedicine platforms such as eSanjeevani.
Speaking about this initiative, Minister Prakash Abitkar stated that rural citizens, too, should have access to the same high-quality modern healthcare services available in major cities. He further added that timely treatment during the "Golden Hour" can significantly reduce the risk of permanent paralysis in stroke patients.
“Instead of shifting patients to big cities, the department is trying to provide modern treatment methods at the nearest government hospital,” he added.
