Two-year partnership extends relationship globally with focus on low-and middle-income countries Structured education and training programs to spotlight stroke as global healthcare issue
Siemens Healthineers and the World Stroke Organization (WSO) have announced a two-year partnership to develop the acute stroke workforce and improve treatment and care for stroke.
Stroke kills over 6.5 million people every year and leaves millions more with disabilities and a diminished quality of life. Stroke is the second-leading cause of death and the third-leading cause of disability in adults globally. Its incidence is rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where a growing burden of disease is challenging already-fragile health systems. This has a marked negative social and economic impact on individuals, their families and broader society. In addition to the human cost, the global financial cost of stroke is set to reach US$1.59 trillion by 2050. Some 87% of the disease burden will be experienced in LMICs.1
“Stroke treatments exist that we know deliver better outcomes for patients and we have evidence that these can be delivered cost-effectively in low-, middle- and high-income countries.” said WSO President Sheila Martins. “Supporting healthcare providers and clinicians to deliver the best possible standard of care is at the core of the WSO mission. And we need all parts of the care system to pull together to alter this disastrous disease trajectory.”
The partnership will have a new global scope, building on a successful program of hands-on workshops to deliver education and training programs aimed at strengthening clinical capacity and driving access to mechanical thrombectomy. This minimally invasive surgery to remove blood clots in the brain significantly improves outcomes for patients but remains unavailable to most who would benefit. Delivery of mechanical thrombectomy requires a complex range of actions across the healthcare system, from raising public awareness of stroke symptoms to ensuring timely hospital presentation, to bringing acute healthcare systems up to levels that enable fast diagnosis and clinical decision-making. WSO programs work to address this system change through a Stroke Center Certification program, clinical education and public awareness campaigns. “By providing healthcare professionals with valuable skills to make timely and informed diagnoses, and equipping healthcare systems with the latest imaging and therapy technologies, we aim to make effective stroke care available to everyone,” said Carsten Bertram, head of Advanced Therapies at Siemens Healthineers. “This partnership supports our goal of lowering the global burden of stroke and will really help move the needle in stroke care around the world.”
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