Rani Mukerji pledges supports ISA initiatives & contribution towards awareness and treatment of stroke across India

Company Brief

Mumbai, February 24, 2011

Bollywood actor Rani Mukerji's association towards the cause of stroke awareness and treatment was announced at an event today hosted by the Indian Stroke Association (ISA). As a first step towards pledging her support and contribution towards awareness and treatment of stroke across India, she has agreed to set up the Rani Mukerji Stroke Treatment Fund in collaboration with ISA which will be used for treatment of 25 eligible stroke patients who cannot afford the treatment. The Rotary Club of Bombay, Worli will also be setting up the Rani Mukerji awareness fund, the contributions to which will be utilized for national stroke awareness activities.

The actor cited two of her close family members' recent stroke attacks as an impetus for her to get associated with the cause. "In our country stroke is the third largest killer and is also, the leading cause of adult disability. It will be my privilege to support ISA in its pioneering efforts towards awareness, diagnosis and appropriate management of the condition," expressed Rani Mukerji.

Stroke is a medical emergency and can cause permanent neurological damage, complications, and death. Brain attack or stroke, is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. It is caused due to block in blood vessel (ischemic stroke) or rupture of the blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke) in the brain. Ischemic stroke has to be properly treated with the only available treatment approved world over to prevent the brain damage within 4.5 hrs. Hence it's very important to reach to the proper hospital in this time window.

According to the World Stroke Organization, every 6 seconds someone dies of a stroke and one in every 6 individuals can have a stroke during their lifetime. In India, every year 14 lakh people develop an acute ischemic stroke.

"More than 3800 patients suffer acute ischemic stroke everyday across India and yet in a study in India it was observed that only 6.2% of patients could identify all the symptoms of stroke which clearly indicates the lack of awareness about the condition. To add to it, it has been observed that of the 3800 who are afflicted with acute ischemic stroke every day, only 380 or 10% reach on time (within 3 to 4.5 hours).," said Dr. Shirish Hastak, President, Indian Stroke Association.

Stroke accounts for 9 to 30 percent of neurological admissions in any major hospital. From this huge number of stroke attacks per day only 7 are thrombolysed (a procedure where clot is removed from the blood vessels). To add to this burden, only one in 5 neurologists thrombolyse patients. As a result, many are relegated to a lifetime of disability, incapacitation, dependence and paralysis. This clearly indicates the massive gap between best practice and actual practice in the Indian scenario.

The process of identifying the 'Acute Stroke Treatment Centres' began a few months back and today there have been more than 150 centres that are in the process of this endorsement by ISA. The logo reflecting ISA-endorsed 'Acute Stroke Treatment Centres' was also unveiled at the event by the Bollywood actor Rani Mukherji; to enable patients to identify ISA-endorsed 'Acute Stroke Treatment Centres' closest to their homes in case of an emergency within the family.

The need for this initiative of endorsing centres of acute stroke treatment was felt after it was observed recently that many patients after suffering a stroke landed up to the nearest hospitals, only to realise that the hospitals were not equipped with the right doctors, technology or skill-sets to treat stroke. In the bargain, the patients were found to be losing out on the golden period for treating stroke, which is between 3-4.5 hours.

These centres will be endorsed by ISA after following a stringent process and the endorsement has been awarded only to hospitals equipped with the basic levels of skill-sets & technologies required to treat stroke. The cornerstones are a standard protocol, well implemented, and supported by infrastructure, training and staff dedicated and committed to stroke prevention and eradication.

The endorsements will be an on-going process where hospitals desirous of getting endorsed can enroll and apply to ISA. The hospitals and their past records in stroke management will be evaluated and the ones who meet the guidelines will be considered for future endorsement as 'Stroke Excellence Centres'.

Currently only few hospitals have acute stroke treatment protocols. One of the centres that has been a proof of this concept of adhering to the ISA-prescribed stroke guidelines and treatment protocols is Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital, where the president of ISA himself has established the systems and processes. When this education on treatment protocols reaches more such centres across India, it would translate into proper stroke care.

The most important drive which ISA has initiated is to increase number of stroke centres/units in India so that it can be treated all over the country. ISA is also prepared to start with a national training program for clinicians to improve penetration of stroke care. Along with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, there are 7 more hospitals which will be part of this national training program for the upcoming stroke experts.

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