Kerala to offer free Troponin T tests to people below poverty line

Kerala will provide free Troponin T tests for people below the poverty line as part of efforts to improve the early detection of heart attacks, Health Minister K. Muraleedharan said on Tuesday. The minister made the announcement in Thiruvananthapuram while inaugurating World Heart Day celebrations organised by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.

Troponin T testing detects levels of a protein released into the blood when heart muscle is damaged. Muraleedharan said the test could identify heart attacks quickly and was important because an electrocardiogram, or ECG, may not always show a heart attack immediately. He said the measure was intended to make cardiac screening more accessible to ordinary citizens, particularly those unable to afford testing.

He added that medical camps conducted by private hospitals might not always be affordable or accessible to people in the lowest-income groups. The minister said the government would encourage medical camps for those sections of society and urged people to attend camps held in their localities. He also said the government would ensure the availability of medicines, while warning that commissions would not be permitted in medicine procurement.

The World Heart Day programme included activities aimed at improving awareness of cardiovascular health, healthy lifestyles and emergency cardiac care. Basic Life Support training was provided to school students so they could respond to medical emergencies. A healthy-lifestyle quiz was also organised for students.

The institute held a cardiac exhibition titled “Know Your Heart”, displaying cardiac specimens, anatomical models, medical hardware and devices used in modern cardiac care. Sanjay Behari, director of SCTIMST, presided over the event. Other participants included G.

Venugopal, chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, and senior cardiology, neurosurgery and hospital officials. The announcement set out the proposed benefit for people below the poverty line but did not specify when the free-testing arrangement would begin or how eligible patients would access it.