Proposed Event:
1000 Indian Citizens will have heart valve disease screening without a physical doctor present with
the patient using digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, a first of its kind event and a Official
World Record on World Heart Day, 29th September 2024
Preface and Project Aim:
Heart Disease continues to be the leading cause of death in India and worldwide. India needs 88,000
heart specialists for our population, but has only <5000. In an attempt to bridge the gap, and to
minimize heart related deaths, Health and Treatments India (HTI) have initiated a programme to
address the need through a first of its kind digital heart valve check. The project aim is to also show
the world on World Heart Day (29th September) on novel and cost effective ways to curtail heart
disease digitally which can be adopted globally
What happens during Digital Heart Valve Check?
We are going to screen 1000 citizens of India in 6 hours for one specific heart abnormality which is
heart valve disease. This will serve as a pilot and proof of concept to expand on diagnosing and
treating other heart conditions. One of the proven scientific and easiest ways to know if someone
has significant heart valve disease is by getting a heart specialist listening to a person’s heart with a
stethoscope. This program aims at achieving the same. A field worker will place a digital stethoscope
on the chest of a person and a heart specialist sitting several hundreds of miles away can hear the
sounds and conclude if they may have heart valve disease or not. Every participant will get an official
letter from a National Medical Council of India (NMC) certified doctor who heard that
person’s heart. If heart valve disease is diagnosed, then they will be recommended for further
assessments to do the needful.
How long does the digital heart valve check take?
The check will involve collecting the identification of the participants and then placing the digital
stethoscope on their chests. A report will be generated once heard by the remote heart specialist.
This is expected to last 1 minute for each person participating.
Where is this being conducted and how?
500 elderly participants in North India (Ahmedabad) and 500 elderly participants in South India
(Rajapalayam) are being screened free of cost. 20 doctors will sit at a control room at Chennai where
they can hear and declare if heart valve disease is present or not. All 1000 participants who are
screened are from poor economic background and have less than optimal access to advanced health
care. 20 doctors will screen 1000 patients in 6 hours. A field worker at Ahmedabad or Chennai will
take identification document from each participant and put the stethoscope on his/her chest. Heart
sounds from that participating person will be transmitted through a digital stethoscope (approved
for clinical use by health authority of India namely NABL) to a phone application carried by the field
worker. The heart sounds will digitally be transmitted live using 5G network to a control room at
Chennai where the cardiologist will be able to hear the heart sounds digitally tagged to that
participant. The heart specialist will make a decision and an official letter signed by the heart
specialist will be generated and the sent to the participant instantaneously.
Who will be conducting this programme?
This initiative and digital heart diagnosis and treatment using Artificial Intelligence is the brain child of
Dr A B Gopalamurugan, who is a nationally and internationally renowned heart specialist. He is also a
Guinness world record holder in the field of heart treatments. The organisation that will be
conducting this programme is called Health And Treatments India (HTI). The entire programme is
being conducted as a good will activity to minimise heart deaths and ailments in India and the world.
When is the programme planned?
The entire program lasting 6 hours is planned on World Heart Day which is the 29th of September. As
an Official World Record is attempted, the program may need adjudication in the three locations
namely Chennai, Ahmedabad and Rajapalayam. All recordings are recorded in encrypted software.
The screening programme is officially legal in the Indian Healthcare system.
