Marengo Asia Hospitals and the Quality and Accreditation Institute (QAI) have joined forces to establish the state-of-the-art ‘Center of Excellence in Quality & Patient Safety in Stroke Care’ at Marengo CIMS Hospital, Ahmedabad. This collaboration aims to enhance stroke care treatment, with the center focusing on fortifying the healthcare system in the state and region. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for this collaboration was initiated by Dr. Raajiv Singhal, Managing Director & Group CEO of Marengo Asia Hospitals, and Dr. B K Rana, Chief Executive Officer of Quality & Accreditation Institute (QAI).
QAI was instituted to establish an educational, training, quality improvement, and accreditation/certification ecosystem with a vision to create a platform for stakeholders, including professionals and organizations involved in any aspect of quality, to share their expertise and knowledge. Among the verticals within QAI is the Centre for Accreditation of Health and Social Care (CAHSC), which oversees accreditation/certification activities in the field of health and social care.
The primary goal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to establish a network of primary stroke centers by connecting smaller hospitals. The initiative involves collaborating with and benefiting nursing homes and clinics, incorporating them into the program to position themselves as local hubs for primary stroke care management, linked with Marengo CIMS Hospital and QAI. We aim to expand the comprehensive stroke program to fellow clinics and nursing homes, enabling them to play a more significant role in the community and deliver timely and appropriate care to all stroke patients. This endeavor will empower these stroke centers with the essential knowledge and skills required to provide standardized stroke care. Through this collaboration, we intend to extend top-notch stroke care to the residents of Ahmedabad by engaging nearby community hospitals, and offering them training and expertise to evolve into L1 and L2 stroke centers in association with MCIMS and QAI.
This unique partnership marks a significant step towards enhancing the overall healthcare ecosystem in stroke care, aiming for a lasting impact in Ahmedabad. Marengo CIMS Hospital has consistently taken the lead in pioneering initiatives for the people of Gujarat, and the collaboration with the esteemed institution, QAI, underscores the hospital’s enduring clinical expertise. The objective is to establish a network of primary stroke centers in collaboration with Marengo CIMS Hospital connecting these centers to stroke software or AI hospitals to reduce the diagnosis time. Doctors involved in this endeavour will receive joint certifications from Marengo CIMS Hospital and QAI. Additionally, the initiative encompasses various components, including the collective organization of Stroke Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions, joint presentation, and publications of the program’s impact at diverse forums, and heightened community awareness through community programs. The collaboration also focuses on training and implementing awareness protocols for stroke treatment., emphasizing adherence to critical time frames for patient care. the overarching goal is to enhance the efficiency of the current stroke care system, making it more effective in both, hub and spoke locations.
Dr Raajiv Singhal, Managing Director & Group CEO, Marengo Asia Hospitals says, “In the critical domain of stroke management, the pursuit of excellence is a dedicated responsibility. The advanced Center of Excellence in Neurosciences at Marengo CIMS Hospital has consistently delivered unparalleled patient care in stroke management. To enhance the treatment of stroke care, the hospital introduced the Strokologist Program for Neurologists in Gujarat and beyond. Through this collaboration, our objective is to establish a Hub & Spoke model, incorporating advanced stroke centers and primary stroke centers. We are actively engaged in building the capacity of stroke teams in these centers by providing training in ‘Clinical Management of Stroke Patients’, and ensuring compliance with ‘accreditation standards.’ This ensures that the right treatment is administered to stroke-affected patients within the ‘Golden Hour’ to minimize the impact of stroke because “every life matters, every minute counts”.
Dr Singhal adds, “Emerging with a reputation for our hospital as an Advanced Center of Excellence for stroke care is a significant milestone. Our intervention in more than 550 cases in the past year has set a benchmark. This is also a step in instilling confidence in patients that our facility meets the highest standards in stroke management. This collaboration is a testament to our unwavering dedication, intense hard work, appropriate infrastructure, well-defined training regimes to impart rigorous training to doctors, and a single-focused approach to sustaining quality standards.”
Dr B K Rana, Chief Executive Officer, Quality & Accreditation Institute (QAI) says, “I am delighted to announce setting up ‘Centre of Excellence for Quality & Patient Safety in Stroke Care’ at Marengo CIMS Hospital. It is a proud moment for QAI to enter into a partnership with Marengo CIMS hospital to work towards improving quality and patient safety in stroke care using multimodal strategies. This one of its kind collaboration between the Accreditation Body and the Healthcare Service Provider would set benchmarks and encourage more collaborations to support the Government’s policy on Non-communicable Diseases. This initiative is aimed towards achieving better clinical outcomes in Stroke, capacity building, and establishing a network of competent stroke centers.”
Stroke is the second most common cause of death in India. About 1,85,000 strokes occur every year in India with nearly one stroke every 40 seconds and one stroke death every 4 minutes. The cumulative incidence of stroke in India ranged from 105 to 152/100,000 persons per year during the past two decades in different parts of the country. The rising cases of stroke among younger people in India are a concerning trend that cannot be ignored. Lifestyle factors, genetic predisposition, and emerging risk factors contribute to this alarming phenomenon. Dr Paul emphasizes the importance of awareness, education, and preventive measures. Statistics show that following a stroke: 10 percent of patients recover almost completely. 25 percent of patients recover with only minor impairments. 40 percent of patients experience moderate-to-severe impairments that require special care. this makes it even more critical that awareness about strokes and their outcome reaches people consistently.
