According to a recent study published in the journal Lancet, a delay in seeking care is responsible for 55% of the cardiac and stroke deaths reported in India. Researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted a social audit among premature deaths among patients aged between 30 and 69 years due to acute cardiac events or stroke in the Faridabad district of Haryana. The team reports that only 10.8% of the deceased reached an appropriate health facility within one hour after onset of symptoms. The study also identified affordability and accessibility as important factors for delays resulting in mortality and identified better insurance coverage and appropriate equipped ambulance linkages.
Anand Krishnan is the correspondence author of the study, and he works at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS.
The Indian Council of Medical Research is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. Established in 1911, it aims to promote and coordinate research in the field of medicine.
