Srinagar: A cardiologist in Kashmir is working to screen over 6,000 school students in three districts of the valley for early diagnosis of heart diseases, to ensure no child remains misdiagnosed and mistreated.
Titled ‘School Heart Screening Project’, the programme is part of Prof Upendra Koul’s Gauri Koul Foundation (GKF), named after his mother.
“We have adopted three districts — Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, taking permission from the government to examine the kids aged between 5 and 15. We take equipment and test material to the schools and screen the students. So far, we have screened around 600 students,” Koul told PTI on the sidelines of the fifth foundation day celebrations of the GKF here.
The initiative is powered by his other programme, “Heart Clinic On Wheels”, providing healthcare facilities in the remote pockets of south Kashmir’s Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts.
He said the initiative has been critical in the early diagnosis of birth-related defects in children and Rheumatic heart diseases, which used to be seen frequently in the past.
The initiative brings cardiac screening directly into schools and examines children who might otherwise never meet a cardiologist, Koul said.
Currently, the focus is on the three districts, with a target of 6,000 students, he said, adding that it will be extended beyond south Kashmir.
The cardiologist said the initiative aims to enable early identification of congenital conditions and build a strong foundation for preventive care across the region.
Dr Abid Hussain, a senior cardiologist who is associated with the initiative, said the foundation holds school-based screening camps with on-site cardiologists.
“Clinical examination is combined with portable echocardiography and other tests. Coordination is done with school principals, teachers and parents and then structured referral and long-term follow-up pathways are undertaken for identified cases,” he said.
Hussain said a gratifying feature has been that in the areas screened so far, Rheumatic Heart disease seems to have disappeared, indicating better living standards and improved care of throat infections.
Pointing out a case of a 15-year-old girl student from Kulgam’s Qaimoh area, Koul said she was treated for epilepsy since 2015 and had been on ten years of medication and a wrong diagnosis.
“Her screening as part of the initiative revealed the true cause, which was bradycardia with normal left ventricular function. The ECG confirmed congenital complete heart block. A pacemaker was implanted and her life altered in a single screening,” he added.
There are many such cases of heart failure, especially in the peripheries. The facilities are not good enough, and they are not treated well, he said.
The cardiologist said that out of the 600 students screened so far, around 25 were high-risk. “Their treatment is going on,” he said.
Koul, the founder-director of GKF, said the foundation is now embarking on expanding the project across all 20 districts in the Union Territory.
Director GKF Priyadarshani Arambam said the foundation is now looking towards the integration of Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies to enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient monitoring in remote areas.
“AI in public health is not just about technology, it is about better decisions, earlier interventions and equitable healthcare delivery at scale,” she said.
