Marengo CIMS Hospital for the first time in Gujarat launches the Strokologist Program

New Delhi: One of the three largest emergencies that can claim lives is ‘Strokes’.  It has been reported that around 600 cases are registered for stroke every day in the state of Gujarat.

Out of 15 lakh estimated stroke cases reported in India annually, Gujarat has a major share. Gender-wise, while men who are heavy consumers of junk food, alcohol, and smoking are at high risk, women post-menopause are at a vulnerable risk. Stroke is also attributed to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, consumption of excessive junk food, high cholesterol, alcohol intake, and smoking. India records approximately 15% of stroke incidences in youth below the age of 40 years in strokes.

To strengthen the network and mobilize nursing homes, nurses, and support staff, Marengo CIMS Hospital launched the Strokologist Program to train the community of physicians, critical care specialists, and ICU and ER doctors and empower them with the skills for timely diagnosis and treatment as soon as a stroke patient is brought under their care. The Program is led by Dr Mukesh Sharma, HOD Stroke Specialist, Marengo CIMS Hospital.

Dr. Mukesh Sharma, Director Neurology and Head of the Stroke Program, Marengo CIMS Hospital says, “Stroke is increasingly affecting the younger population, contrary to the common perception that it belongs to the older age groups, and lives are lost untimely due to delay in reaching the patient to a medical emergency within a stipulated time. The Program will educate and skill doctors to thrombolyse patients within the golden hour. This will certify the medical professionals as skilled professionals equipped to deal with stroke patients and also increase the capability of the doctors to read the scans appropriately and administer drugs accordingly. We are networking with nursing homes across Ahmedabad in a hub-and-spoke model to make each primary stroke center equipped with advanced technology for immediate medical intervention.”

Dr Raajiv Singhal, Managing Director & Group CEO, Marengo Asia Hospitals said, “In our vision of “Patient First”, every life matters, every minute counts. Timely medical intervention is crucial as a stroke kills about two million brain cells in under a minute. The Strokologist Program is designed to mobilize timely intervention by doctors and to create an impact socially through increased awareness among physicians and people. We are creating an integrated network of nursing homes to introduce advanced technology to elevate the nursing homes as stroke centers with enhanced precision in clinical excellence. The blend of advanced technology with a human touch to expedite the care solutions for stroke patients is of paramount importance.  Last, but not least, high-end drugs for clot bursting have been available over the last almost three decades. Yet only two percent of stroke patients are administered these drugs. We are skilling the doctors in understanding the outcome of these drugs and administering them appropriately.”

‘Reaching the right hospital, at the right time for the right treatment’ is a crucial component in changing the outcomes in stroke patients. Marengo CIMS Hospital is aiming to stand strong towards its mission/motto of treating and managing strokes in much improved manner so that more lives can be saved in the country. With the participation of a network of 45 doctors and nursing homes, the team of Neurosciences at Marengo CIMS will train and certify doctors and nurses in batches to bring down disabilities or fatalities in stroke patients significantly. Advanced technology will play a pivotal role in the education of doctors and empower them with tools to be applied for quick responses to critical conditions. Each of these primary networked centers with the technology will help doctors download the data fed into the systems and prepare them to plan the best line of treatment for the patient. In the event of the requirement for further treatment in complex cases, the patient then can be shifted in a stabilized condition to a comprehensive care center. The community of doctors integrated into the network will be connectors for every patient for coming to any doctor certified through this program for the immense and pivotal support it will generate to save more lives.

Around 4000 stroke cases happen daily and not more than even 2 to 3 percent are treated. India currently accounts for 60 percent of stroke patients worldwide. Less than 1 in 4 Indians are aware of stroke symptoms. About three million people die due to strokes each year. Globally, about 6% of all deaths from stroke occur in people 15-49 years old. There are 69 million people living who have experienced stroke. Over 143 million years of healthy life is lost each year due to disability and deaths following a stroke. One in six people are at a risk of experiencing stroke. It is about time that awareness arms people to react quickly in such conditions.