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UAE to be the first country
in MENA region to establish
a stroke center of
excellence
(Dubai, UAE) --
Addressing the need to
continually improve the
quality of stroke management
in the MENA region and save
patients' lives, Boehringer
Ingelheim, a global
pharmaceutical company, in
collaboration with 'Safe
Implementation of Treatment
in Stroke (SITS)', a
world-wide collaboration to
support quality development
of stroke management, the German
Stoke Society and the
Emirates Neurology Society,
held a regional
stroke conference in Dubai
to discuss enhancing and
developing the standards and
quality of stroke centers
and registry within the MENA
region.
The two day conference focused on
systematically evaluating
and improving clinical acute
stroke treatment and to
further drive
overall excellence in acute
and secondary stroke
management. The participants
in the conference, all
experienced strokologists
from MENA countries,
discussed the acute stroke
treatment protocol of the
SITS registry. This registry
protocol specifically
devised for MENA region will
be running for a period of 2
years from June 2014 till
May 2016 and will help
gather information regarding
various aspects related to
acute stroke management at
the centers enrolling in the
study. The conference also
provided insights around the
clear guidance that having
stroke units in the
hospitals will decrease the
death rates from stroke and
its outcomes. In this
regard, the SITS MENA
members got an opportunity
to interact with stroke
experts of the German Stroke
Society and understand their
views on the stroke unit
certification process
initiated by the Society.
SITS is the tool for
hospitals to continuously
improve the quality of
stroke management. The
purpose of the Registry is
to support a high and evenly
distributed quality of
stroke care, which will
benefit stroke patients.
SITS is also an instrument
for professional
organizations and
authorities to follow and
evaluate the implementation
of guidelines for stroke
management. The purpose of
the initial two-year
observational study is to
systematically evaluate the
current status of stroke
care in Middle- Eastern and
North African countries as a
basis for quality
development.
In the Middle East and North
Africa stroke is
increasingly becoming a
major health problem, with
projections that deaths from
it will nearly double by
2030. Studies have reported
that rates range from 29.8
per 100 000 people in Saudi
Arabia to 57 per 100 000
people in Bahrain.
Furthermore, the 28-day case
mortality rate also differed
among studies, ranging from
10% in Kuwait to 31.5% in
Iran. The Middle East and
North Africa are lacking in
data on the epidemiology of
stroke. There is an urgent
need to develop strategies
to prevent and better care
for stroke patients in the
Middle East and North
Africa.
Mr. Mohammed Al Tawil,
General Manager, Boehringer
Ingelheim, Near East Middle
East Area (NEMEA) said:
"Boehringer Ingelheim has
demonstrated its commitment
to the region by bringing in
new learning's and global
practices. The main
objective for Boehringer
Ingelheim to support the
initiative is to engage
existing and budding
neurologists, strokologists,
and health care
practitioners with the
international groups to
analyze and enroll data
around stroke management
which will lead to better
solutions in the
implementation of stoke
management, develop
strategies for better
treatment and save people’s
lives".
Dr. Suhail Al Rukn,
President, Emirates
Neurology Society (EMINS)
and UAE SITS Coordinator
said: "Internationally
between 100 and 120 strokes
occur per 100,000 people.
Though the region falls
within that global average,
our sufferers are much
younger in age than those in
many other countries; 20
years younger in some cases.
Our main aim is to safe
stroke patients from the
serious consequence, that's
why the Emirates Neurology
Society is proud to be a
partner of this initiative
alongside other leading
healthcare organizations."
Prof. Dr. Nils Wahlgren,
SITS Chairman and Professor
of Neurology at Karolinska
University Hospital,
Stockholm, Sweden, said:
"The data collected through
the SITS network on a global
scale has been extremely
useful for our understanding
of treatments and the
development of new protocols
within the medical
community. With the opening
of the region's first
dedicated stroke center and
registry in the UAE, the
medical community will have
access to a unique and
dynamic channel for data
collection—helping to combat
the disease both locally and
abroad."
Prof. Dr. Otto Busse,
Secretary General, German
Stroke Society, said:
"Given the prevalence of
stroke in the country and
the region, we encourage and
are willing to help more
hospitals and centers set up
dedicated stroke units
following the essential
protocols and guidelines put
forward by the German Stoke
Society."
The conference saw
attendance from different
neurologists, stroke
specialists and managers of
stroke units from Oman,
Kuwait, Algeria, Tunisia,
KSA, Egypt, Iran, Sweden,
Germany and the UAE.
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