PT326 The Evaluation of a Public Service Advertisement "Being healthy, Being away from chronic diseases" in Chongqing, China

Abstract

Introduction: In developing countries poverty poses challenges in healthcare delivery. In the context of treatment involving pacemakers, most of the hospitals turn away poor patients who could not afford the expensive device. A large hospital in Eastern India took up the challenge. Objectives: To share the experience of developing a system for providing free pacemakers to poor patients Methods: Cardiologist of the hospital searched several options and zeroed on Heart Beat International (HBI) in the USA. HBI coordinates with pacemaker manufacturers who donate new devices for needy patients anywhere in the world. It distributes pacemakers through banks governed by Rotary Clubs. In the year 2005, in association with a local Rotary Club, a Pacemaker Bank was established. The steel industry to which the hospital is attached waived off the procedure charge in poor patients. The fee of US $ 5000 to HBI was donated every year by a partnering Rotary club from another city. Batches of new pacemakers were sent from USA and Germany as per requirement. Results: From March 2005 till Sep 11 2013, 147 devices were implanted in 142 poor patients. One of the beneficiaries was a poor man from distant Kabul in Afghanistan, who got information about our work. There were 105 males and 37 females in the age range of 20 to 86 years. Medtronic, Biotronic, St Jude, Vitatron and Guidant pacemakers were received. We implanted 90 dual chamber pacemakers, 50 single chamber pacemakers, 6 AICDs and one CRT device. While on regular follow up, ‘end of life’ warning was noted in five dual chamber devices and one AICD. They were replaced with new devices. The pacemaker bank experiences were shared in the HBI workshops held along with the Annual Conferences of the American College of Cardiology at Chicago, New Orleans and Atlanta. Interactions with experts led to RVOT pacing and a paper on the work was published in a Canadian journal. Sakuji Tanaka, the President of Rotary International awarded the cardiologist for humanitarian service. Conclusion: After establishing the Pacemaker Bank no patient who could live normally with a pacemaker is turned away from the hospital. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared