In a remarkable achievement, a South African hospital has been recognised with top-level Diamond status by the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) Angels Initiative for its role in delivering outstanding emergency stroke care.
The esteemed award was presented to Dr Zaheer Sacoor, who has been instrumental in the establishment and success of the unit, at the 16th World Stroke Congress held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in commemoration of National Stroke Week which ran from 28 October to 3 November 2024.
The World Stroke Congress serves as a critical platform, uniting stroke professionals, researchers, support organisations, and policymakers from around the globe.
It focuses on sharing the latest advancements in stroke care techniques and clinical guidelines, fostering international collaboration to alleviate the burden of stroke worldwide.
According to the WSO Angels Initiative, the consequences of inadequate stroke care are dire. Globally, a person who suffers a stroke and could have been saved either dies or incurs life-changing brain injury every half hour due to insufficient treatment standards.
This prestigious accolade signifies the highest recognisable level that hospitals can attain within the WSO's stroke management criteria, ultimately aiming for optimal patient outcomes.
As Sharon Singh, the hospital's general manager, said: “We are honoured to be part of the global community of stroke centres working every day to improve the quality of stroke treatment.”
To qualify for the awards, hospitals must register with and submit data to the RES-Q quality of stroke care registry, an initiative of the ESO East that now includes WSO and is the basis of the international awards evaluation criteria.
This registry allows for international benchmarking and continuous improvement and monitoring to ensure consistency of quality stroke care. In this regard, Netcare St Anne's stood out as the first hospital in KwaZulu-Natal to achieve Diamond status, and being the sole WSO Angels award recipient in the Msunduzi district.
In his acceptance speech Dr. Sacoor said: “Stroke has been a focus of attention in neurology, and we felt patients in Pietermaritzburg and surrounds should be offered the revolutionary therapies now available, including new medications and an entire spectrum of opportunities to prevent damage as early as possible from the time a person starts experiencing symptoms of stroke.
“Any suspected stroke should be treated with severe urgency and emergency medical attention, as once a stroke occurs the person starts losing an average of 1.9 million brain cells per minute, representing loss of functions such as mobility, speech, and may be life altering or even life threatening.”
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za