World Stroke Organisation honours three Vietnamese hospitals

A medical worker takes care of a patient at the stroke centre at the Hue Central Hospital in central Thua Thien-Hue province (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Three medical facilities in Vietnam recently fulfilled seven criteria to be awarded Platinum Status by the World Stroke Organisation (WSO).

The three hospitals were the Hue Central Hospital, Dong Nai General Hospital and Military Hospital 103.

The prestigious WSO award is for stroke centres around the world adopting strict requirements in training, equipment, and the treatment of acute strokes, among other measures.

Awards will be calculated quarterly, aiming to provide practical support to improve stroke care globally, recognise and promote best practice in stroke care and share key research around the implementation of quality stroke care.

To achieve “Platinum Status”, the following criteria must be fulfilled: 75 percent of patients treated from door to recanalisation therapy time more than 60 minutes, 15 percent recanalisation procedure rate out of total stroke incidence in the hospital, 85 percent of all suspected stroke patients undergoing CT or MRI imaging procedure.

In addition, 85 percent of all stroke patients undergoing dysphagia screening, 85 percent of Ischaemic stroke patients discharged with antiplatelets, 85 percent of atrial fibrillation related stroke patients discharged with anticoagulants and stroke patients treated in a dedicated stroke unit or ICU during their hospital stay.

Taking care of patients at the stroke centre at the Hue Central Hospital (Photo: VNA).

The centre at the Hue Central Hospital in central Thua Thien-Hue province was set up in 2017 and put into operation in June 2018. The centre is capable of receiving more than 2,500 patients a year. In 2019, it successfully treated more than 200 severe cases.

Hospital Director Professor Pham Nhu Hiep said the centre is now eyeing securing Diamond Status as it works to maintain and improve treatment quality.

The stroke department at Military Hospital 103 in Hanoi was set up in 2006. It specialises in providing treatment for patients suffering from brain stroke.

It has a number of skilled techniques in first aid, treatment and neurologic interventions, stroke prevention and rehabilitation for patients.

Meanwhile, the Dong Nai General Hospital in southern Dong Nai province set up a unit specialising in strokes at its Department of Neurology in 2017.

As of 2019, the unit had treated more than 4,500 patients, of which 3,000 suffered from cerebral infarction and 300 treated with recanalisation therapy, accounting for 10 percent.

The WSO is committed to improving outcomes for stroke victims by ensuring patients worldwide get access to care that optimizes their survival and recovery.

Strokes are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide and are responsible for 116 million years of healthy life lost each year. The impact on individuals, families and society is incalculable.

In Vietnam, 200,000 people suffer from strokes each year, and 104,000 lose their lives to this incommunicable disease. Strokes are on the rise among both men and women in Vietnam and many other countries.

The mortality and disability rate is still high due to, among other reasons, a limited endovascular intervention capacity and late hospitalisation of patients.

Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death in Vietnam, as eight out of 10 deaths are due to those diseases.

The country records about 12.5 million people with high blood pressure, 3.5 million others with obesity, two million people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and nearly 126,000 new cases of cancer each year.

Globalisation, urbanisation and environmental changes are leading to an unhealthy lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol abuse, unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity. And those factors enhance the development of non-communicable diseases.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases in early phases, strokes, type 2 diabetes and more than 40 percent of cancer could be prevented by a healthy diet, regular exercise and not smoking./.